PHILADELPHIA, PA. – Two Philadelphia workers have filed a class action against Walmart, alleging that the company regularly failed to follow Philadelphia’s Fair Workweek Law. The workers are represented by Community Legal Services of Philadelphia and co-counsel from Lichten & Liss-Riordan P.C., Werman Salas, and Willig, Williams & Davidson. The class action complaint was…
How many times have you encountered an injustice that shocked you so much that you wondered, “How in the world could this possibly be legal?” Well, that’s exactly why we at Community Legal Services created our new podcast, “How Is That Legal?”. With help from our host, CLS Chief Equity and Inclusion Officer Kee Tobar,…
Are you between the ages of 18-26? Join the Youth Action Board at Community Legal Services of Philadelphia! Youth Action Board Fellows will spend a year working together, along with CLS Advocates, to develop ideas, goals, and projects to support young people in Philadelphia. If you… Are a Philadelphia resident between 18-26 Want to…
CLS’s Health & Independence (H&I) Unit represents low-income families, survivors of domestic violence, immigrants, older adults, and people with disabilities on a wide range of issues including accessing public benefits, preventing institutionalization, and ensuring access to healthcare and health insurance. We also advocate to maintain economic stability by preventing interruption or reduction of Social Security…
Updated 03/04/2022 Federal COVID leave and other programs like PUA have expired, just as the Omicron variant began to surge. Workers need time off because they are sick, and working parents need flexibility if their kid’s school is remote. This is a good time to talk about organizing in your workplace! Frontline workers have…
HB 129, a bill which is scheduled for a vote by the Pennsylvania Senate Labor and Industry Committee on February 8, 2022, would require Unemployment Compensation (UC) hearings to be transitioned to “primarily via videoconference.” Video hearings would be the default. In a world of Zoom meetings for many, this might seem on the surface…
The following post was written by Kee Tobar, Director of Racial Equity and Inclusion at Community Legal Services of Philadelphia. Let us remember Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s comprehensive dream as we celebrate his legacy. As the Director of Racial Equity and Inclusion at Community Legal Services of Philadelphia, I realize that so much of…
Are you behind on your water bill? DHS’ new Water Assistance Program can help! The Low Income Home Water Assistance Program (LIHWAP) is now available to provide low-income Pennsylvanians with help on water bills. What help is available? LIHWAP will pay your water provider the amount needed to prevent a shut off or restore…
In a landmark ruling, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court has held that Fourth Amendment protections extend to home inspections conducted by child welfare agencies investigating anonymous hotline calls, and that child welfare agencies may not search family homes without first demonstrating probable cause under the law. This case has broad-ranging racial justice implications for Black and…
Legal services providers are frequently presented with the challenge of communicating complicated and evolving legal advice to large numbers of constituents. The Clean Slate Screening Project (CSSP), developed by Philadelphia-based Community Legal Services (CLS) in partnership with the Pennsylvania Bar Association (PBA), was conceived as a solution to that predicament when in 2018, the state…
