Pro Bono
Legal Clinic for Blind May Be a First
Posted Jan 16, 2008, 12:04 pm CST
By Martha Neil
When attorney Nicholas Pomaro offers advice to clients at a Chicago legal aid clinic believed to be perhaps the only one in the country focusing on issues faced by those who are blind, he has one big advantage in understanding their concerns.
He's blind, too, reports the Chicago Tribune. After retiring in 2005 from Cook County Circuit Court, where he served as an Illinois state judge for almost 30 years, Pomaro founded the clinic. It has just reached the 250-case mark, and is, he says, "the best thing I've ever done."
Employment discrimination is the No. 1 concern of clients. They also commonly seek help from the clinic concerning criminal, social security and housing issues.
Such counsel is sorely needed, says Mark Richert of the American Foundation for the Blind. "There's nothing else quite like this," he says of the Chicago legal aid clinic. "It could be a template for the rest of the country."
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