What We Are Facing: The Runaround

The following:

One page of MANY

as we prepare to file the finalized documents for upcoming 501(c)3

WJW Mental Health Legal Fund

One two-month true example 

in the mountain of a thirty (30) year timeline of 

HARD CORE ADVOCACY INVOLVEMENT

that created the NEED for the nonprofit

to help ease the burden on the mental health system.

To procure 

Legal Representation 

for indigent, disabled, criminalized

Diagnosed with Serious Mental Illness (SMI)

~ The forgotten ones ~

Much more to come, soon.

~~~~~~~~~~

SUMMARY:  
GTCA - Mental Disability Case, Lawyer Search

All Doors Lead Nowhere.  

Money is the bottom line.

#TheReasons

A.   Item No. 104 - 05/19/17:  Oklahoma Bar Association

·      OBA said there is no lawyer category for:         

o  Mental Health Law

o  Mental Disability Lawyers

OBA suggestions:     Oklahoma Find A Lawyer  (See B, below) 

                                            Call Tulsa County District Attorney  (See F, below) 

B.    Item No. 105 - 05/19/17:  Oklahoma Find A Lawyer

·      This entity also said there is no lawyer category for: 

o  Mental Health Law

o  Mental Disability Lawyers

DEAD END for private, pro-bono attorney leads for indigent, criminalized SMI  ›

› Exhausted all Oklahoma GTCA mental health Civil Rights 
pro-bono lawyer suggestions  ›

2017 Private Attorney “Lawyer Search” (very long list)

New Search Focus:  Pro-bono Law Agencies

Mental Disability Legal Representation

#TheReasons

C.   Item No. 107 - 05/22/17:  Center for Public Representation (Massachusetts)

Suggestion:  Call the National Disability Rights Network (See: G, below)  

                        (Washington DC)

D.   Item No. 109 - 05/25/17:  Bazelon Center for Mental Disability Law (Washington DC)

·      Bazelon spoke to Oklahoma Disability Law Center:  Neither can help 

        (See: E, below)

·      Bazelon offered to consult, but would need an Oklahoma attorney to file.       

       There are none.

Bazelon suggestion:  Call Legal Aid Services of Oklahoma  (See H, below; 1st) 

for resources available to people filing “pro se” on behalf of oneself  

(The only option)

E.     Item No. 112 - 06/28/17:  Oklahoma Disability Law Center, Inc.

·     Declined to take this GTCA mental disability case due to: 

A disproportionate amount of resources required for one case  #TheReasons $$  

F.    Item No. 114 – 07/10/17:  Tulsa County District Attorney – Steve Kunzweiler

DA Office suggestion:  Call Legal Aid Services of Oklahoma  (See H, below; 2nd) 

G.   Item No. 115 - 07/10/17:  National Disability Rights Network

Suggestions:  Call Legal Aid Services of Oklahoma  (See H, below; 3rd)

 Call Oklahoma Bar Association  <<<<<<<<<< !!!

 (We’ve come full circle - back to square one)

H.   Item No. 116 – 07/12/17:  Legal Aid Services of Oklahoma, Inc.

·      Legal Aid said they do not handle this kind of civil case

Legal Aid’s only suggestion for WJWMHLF Founders:

·     Contact the Legal Aid funders to further inquire as to the reason they do not represent this type of mental health civil case (i.e., Pro-bono GTCA for indigent, criminalized SMI)

o   Funder:  Legal Services Corporation, Washington DC

                  Uhhh......will do.

********************************************************************

"The Runaround" 
because these calls lead to either 
"no"

or to 
"call some other entity"

and then

that entity circles back 

with the same suggestions!

THE ONLY ANSWER IS ALWAYS TO 

DO IT OURSELVES

I hope this insanity bothers you 
as much as it does me.

Stay tuned.  We've been busy...  😉

Jackie Welton DiPillo

As Dad always says, 
"Necessity Breeds Invention"
#WJWMHLF