Legal Help Rooted in Faith and Compassion

My name is Jim Kelleher and I have been a practicing attorney for over 40 years. I have been a Trial Attorney for all of that time and have seen up close how our Courts function. I am a devout Catholic, attend Mass daily, and say the Rosary every morning before I start my day. Why do I tell you that? Because I am ashamed of myself that it has taken me all these years to actually want to help right this injustice. I have from time-to-time handled cases pro bono for individuals who couldn't pay, and you would think that would have woken me up. But no, I was always "too busy" with my law practice. Making money was my priority.

Our Lord has blessed me with the love of my life, my wife Susan, and has sent us four wonderful children. We have raised them with love and they all have become great young adults. Three of the four are now also attorneys and the one who isn't works as a realtor and supported her family while her husband went to law school and also became a lawyer! We all now practice law together.

I certainly don't want to sound dramatic here but recently I have heard the Lord's voice very clearly. When I say the Penitential Act at Mass, I now hear this phrase very loud and clear: …"that I have greatly sinned, in my thoughts and in my words, in what I have done, and IN WHAT I HAVE FAILED TO DO". At first, I was perplexed. I said to myself repeatedly that I'm a good person and I must be misreading something. Certainly this couldn't be a criticism of my conduct! I kept praying and tried to shake it but the "what I have failed to do" became louder and stronger. As I drove around town to the same places I have been going to for years, all of a sudden I am now seeing homeless people holding signs asking for money. And I now also clearly see others on the streets with shopping carts loaded with all their worldly possessions. They have been there all along but I truly never noticed. I had other "much more important" things on my mind. Now I can't take my eyes off them.

And it keeps coming. I met with an old friend who told me she is now volunteer chair of the Collier Resource Center. When I told her I wasn't familiar with that organization and asked what they did, I was again hit between the eyes. She explained that their mission is to connect area residents in need of assistance with organizations that can help. For example, if someone needs a place to stay, they know where to refer them. Same if a person needs food, mental health counseling, help paying rent, or any number of other situations. Out of the blue, she just says "and our biggest need that we are unable to meet is legal referrals. We certainly send our clients to Legal Aid but a very high percentage of cases never get the help they need. Sometimes it's because the client is working and earning income so they don't qualify. Just as often, the person needs immediate help and can't wait to go through the qualifying process. And the unfortunate reality is that many of those referred are intimidated by the process and never even complete the paperwork". Knowing very well that I'm an attorney, she then just looked at me waiting for a reply.

All of this has caused me to pray very intensely asking Our Lord for direction. What specifically is it that I have "failed to do"? The answer came very clearly. Our Bishop asked me to go to the Guadalupe Social Services Center in Immokalee, Florida to spend time with some potential donors to the Centers fundraising campaign. For those of you who don't know, this area is largely a farming community where much of the population works for the large crop producers in the fields. I have been to Immokalee in the past but never to this facility. To say it was life changing would be a tremendous understatement. We spent hours with those who run the Center touring the grounds and learning about their clients. This wonderful place provides meals, take home groceries, clothing and home goods, showers for the homeless, and overall is just a loving place those in need can call home. We finished our day eating lunch with a group of men, women, and children who it was very apparent needed a hot meal.

After we had eaten, as the potential donors were all leaving, I began to talk to the young lady who is the Regional Director of the facility. She told me how years ago, she was one of those children we just had lunch with. Her parents worked in the fields and never made enough money to feed and house their family. They were never sure where they would live or where their next meal would come from. She told me she went to work at Guadalupe in an entry level job as soon as she was old enough vowing that she would make sure her people continued to get the help they so badly need. This year is her 23rd year there and she has worked her way all the way to the top. Tears filled her eyes as she gave me details of all of the issues her people face every day. It didn't take her long at all to talk about how the landlords who own the trailers and apartments where the workers stay take complete advantage of them because they know there is nothing they can do about it. Holes in the ceilings are not repaired, leaky pipes spilling drinking water and/or sewage are neglected…it goes on and on. She went through a whole litany of problems that could only be addressed in the legal system and obviously no one had any money to pay a lawyer. She, too, looked at me waiting for a response.

With my eyes now also tearing up fully, I thanked her for sharing her story. As I turned to go, right in front of me hanging on the wall by the door was the Jesus Divine Mercy photo. It's the one with the red and white rays coming out of his heart and the words "Jesus I trust in You". I stopped dead in my tracks. I have that exact picture on the front screen of my cell phone. I took out my phone and held it right next to the hanging picture. Another coincidence? I think not.

So through all of that, it became very clear that the "what I have failed to do" question has been answered. Our Lord is very clearly directing me to use my legal skills to help these people even up the legal playing field.

I have established the OUR LADY OF VICTORY LEGAL CLINIC. Its sole purpose is to provide free legal services to anyone in need. Why the name Our Lady of Victory? The origin of the Feast of Our Lady of Victory dates back to 1571. On October 7 of that year, the allied forces of the Holy League, an alliance of major Christian maritime states, went to war with the powerful fleet of the Ottoman Empire in a battle that took place off the coast of Greece. No one gave the Holy League a chance and, as expected, the first several days of the conflict were dominated by the Ottomans. With the Turkish forces about to declare victory, Pope Pius V had asked the faithful to pray the rosary from dawn to dusk throughout the battle. At the day's conclusion, a very sudden and dramatic turn in the battle occurred and the Christians began to dominate and ultimately drove away the enemy. The victory was attributed directly to the power of praying the rosary. Not long after, the Feast of Our Lady of Victory (also known as the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary) was added to the Church calendar. Since our Clinic will always represent the decided underdogs, invoking the Our Lady of Victory name seemed especially appropriate.

I have thought long and hard about how to best provide the legal services needed. The plan I have established is very unique and once again I take no credit for coming up with it. It came directly from the same place where I heard "and what I have failed to do". I firmly believe this is God's plan. I am on the Board of Governors of Ave Maria Law School here in Naples and am currently working with the faculty to identify recent graduates who are devoutly Catholic and would welcome the opportunity to provide legal services to those in need. Since these new lawyers will have little or no actual experience, I have also assembled a team of very experienced senior lawyers who are at the point in their careers where they very much want to help with this project. They will serve as direct one-on-one mentors to the recent grads and will provide them with the specific instruction needed on each individual case to properly represent our clients. We will likewise hire new graduates who have obtained a paralegal degree to work with and support the attorneys. They also will be paired with experienced paralegals who have committed to volunteering their time.

Our main office will be in East Naples which is without question where the population most in need of our services is concentrated. The Clinic will also have an office at or in the Guadalupe Center in Immokalee and will meet with clients there regularly. I will also personally meet with the Pastor of each Catholic Parish in Collier County and make them aware of our willingness to help any parishioners in need. As we expand our capacity at the clinic, I will extend that outreach to all Christian churches in the area.

I'll just be direct: all of this costs money. We can't open our doors or hire anyone until we have the necessary funds. Myself and the other Senior lawyers are 100% volunteering our time. We will take no compensation of any kind. We just received 501(C)(3) approval from the IRS as a certified charitable organization so any contribution you make is fully tax deductible. Please do not hesitate to call me directly with any questions at all. My cell phone number is 239-404-1775.