Jeff Plotkin, a partner of Finn Dixon & Herling LLP, has been elected Chairman of the Board of Connecticut Legal Services, Inc., the largest legal aid agency in Connecticut.
Jeff has been a member of CLS’s Board of Directors since 2018, and most recently served as Vice-Chairman and Co-Chair of the Governance and Nominating Committee. Jeff will be succeeding the current CLS Chair, Carolyn "Carrie" Kaas, an Associate Professor of Law at Quinnipiac University School of Law, effective October 27, 2022.
“I am thrilled that Jeff accepted the Board’s nomination to be CLS’s newest board chair, “said Deborah Witkin, CLS’s Executive Director. “His counsel is always both astute and practical. Jeff and Finn Dixon have been great supporters of CLS, and I look forward to more of Jeff’s guidance as he and the Board help CLS move forward with its mission to provide access to justice to Connecticut’s low-income residents.”
Jeff commented that he is “proud to be associated with CLS and honored to serve as Chairman of the Board. CLS’s attorneys, legal assistants, paralegals, and social workers have dedicated their careers to improving the lives of economically disadvantaged Connecticut residents. They provide critical legal services each year to thousands of low-income clients in times of crisis. The Board is committed to ensuring that CLS staff has the support, resources and strategic guidance necessary to continue to deliver invaluable legal services to those who need it most.”
About CLS:
CLS provides free legal representation and advice to qualified low-income clients in the following areas:
- Housing: CLS works to prevent homelessness, improve housing conditions, protect against housing discrimination, fight unfair evictions, and help clients get and keep affordable housing. With the launch of the Right to Counsel program in Connecticut, CLS Housing attorneys are working diligently to provide eviction defense to tenants in seven zip codes across the state, with more to open soon.
- Familyand domestic violence: CLS helps victims of family violence secure their safety and achieve stability for their children.
- Health Law: CLS helps clients obtain or maintain access to health care coverage including Medicaid and Medicare. It also helps the elderly prevent unlawful nursing home discharges.
- Public Benefits and Employment: CLS helps clients maintain or obtain access to benefits to which they might be entitled including food stamps, cash assistance, health insurance, and disability benefits. It also works on employment related issues such as discrimination and wage and hour disputes.
- Elder: CLS helps people 60 years and over overcome financial exploitation, consumer fraud, and impossible debt burdens. It also helps clients remain in their homes with appropriate support services whenever they can, and help with end of life planning including health care directives and durable powers of attorney.
- Education and Juvenile Law: CLS helps children with disabilities access the education services they need to be successful in school. CLS also helps families in abuse and neglect proceedings.
- Immigration: CLS helps victims of domestic violence and unaccompanied minors stabilize their immigration status.
For more information on CLS, see https://ctlegal.org/
To make a charitable donation to CLS’s Campaign for Justice, see https://secure.acceptiva.com/?cst=ea0913