Community Legal Aid Society, Inc. (CLASI) - Delaware

@declasi.bsky.social

277 Followers 181 Following

Statewide nonprofit providing free civil legal services to Delawareans in need, helping to ensure equal access to justice. www.declasi.org

Graphic with a photo of the Wilmington city skyline and text reading: "HOUSING UPDATE - Wilmington City Council Approves Pathway to Fund Legal Aid Settlement Assistance Program - In an important step toward preventing evictions and keeping Wilmington families stably housed, the Wilmington City Council has passed legislation creating a pathway to fund the Legal Aid Settlement Assistance Program. All funds provided through the program will go toward paying amounts owed directly to landlords to resolve eviction cases handled by Delaware’s legal aid agencies; no funds will be used for administrative or program operating expenses."
Photo of seven CLASI and DVLS attorneys and advocates standing and smiling in a mock trial courtroom at Delaware Law School.
Graphic with text in blue and gray reading: "WE ARE HIRING" and "OPEN POSITION: PUBLIC BENEFITS UNIT STAFF ATTORNEY" "New Castle, Kent, or Sussex County" with an image of a bullhorn and the CLASI logo.
Graphic with dark blue background and white text with large quotation marks reading: "All Delawareans, including older adults and those with disabilities, belong in their communities if that is where they want to be. CLASI is committed to fighting for the rights of individuals with disabilities and will continue to advocate for all to have the supports and services necessary to live and work in their communities." The CLASI logo is at the bottom in white.
Graphic with a blue background and white text reading "Happy Fourth of July! CLASI offices will be closed on Friday, July 3 in observance of Independence Day" with graphics of fireworks and the CLASI logo in white.
Photo of CLASI staff members and summer interns standing smiling outside behind a table with flyers, with Delaware Attorney General Kathy Jennings and Sherry Dorsey Walker.
Graphic with black text reading: "FREE WEBINAR Social Security Benefits for Older Adults; Tuesday, July 14, 2026 2:00 p.m. EST via Zoom; Presenters Kate Lang, Director, Federal Income Security, Justice in Aging; John Whitelaw, Advocacy Director, Community Legal Aid Society, Inc." above the logos of CLASI and Justice in Aging, on a light gray background.
Graphic with the words Delaware Online at the top with a screenshot of a headline reading "Delaware Most Influential: Meet Delaware's Most Influential & Inspiring in law" with a subheading reading "John Whitelaw, CLASI advocacy director" and a photo of John Whitelaw.
Graphic with the words Delaware Online at the top with a screenshot of a headline reading "Delaware Most Influential: Meet Delaware's Most Influential & Inspiring in law" with a subheading reading "John Whitelaw, CLASI advocacy director" and a photo of John Whitelaw.
Graphic with text reading "We Are Hiring Open Position: Disability Rights Delaware Investigator/Monitor & Patient Advocate, New Castle, Kent, or Sussex County" in blue and gray text, next to an icon of a blue and gray megaphone, with the Disability Rights Delaware logo in the lower left corner.
Title slide with text reading “Disability Rights Delaware recognizes Global Accessibility Awareness Day, May 21, 2026” above four illustrations of people with disabilities: a blind person using a cane, a person using sign language, a basketball player in a wheelchair, and a person with a limb difference riding a skateboard. The Disability Rights Delaware logo appears in the bottom left corner.
Graphic with 8 photos of CLASI staff, clients, and partners over the years, with a large 80 in blue above the CLASI logo in the middle.
CLASI paralegal Kate Cirrito sitting behind a table smiling next to a sign with the CLASI logo in an atrium space at the University of Delaware.
Photo of Judge Jan Jurden, Peyton Carper, Joseph Halsey, and Roxanne Eastes standing and smiling at the 2026 Joint Inns of Court meeting.
Graphic with blue and gray text reading "We Are Hiring Open Position: Elder Law Program/Manufactured Housing Staff Attorney New Castle, Kent or Sussex County" by an image of a megaphone above the CLASI logo.
Photo of housing advocate DeBorah Gilbert White standing smiling next to CLASI Advocacy Director John Whitelaw in a large conference room at the Homebase Regional Summit on Older Adult Homelessness
Disability rights advocates and agency staff including CLASI's Marissa Band smiling in front of a large staircase at Legislative Hall in Dover on March 24, 2026.
Graphic with a dark blue border around a white background with the Disability Rights Delaware logo at the top, above three speech bubbles with the words "WE WANT YOUR FEEDBACK!" in white on shades of blue, above text in dark blue reading "Disability Rights Delaware is the state’s designated Protection & Advocacy agency, providing free legal assistance and advocacy services to people with disabilities. We are seeking input from Delawareans with disabilities, their families, providers, and the general public to help us determine our areas of focus for the coming year."
Photo of CLASI staff attorney Vestonia Viddy standing and smiling in front of the seal of the Supreme Court of Delaware.
Graphic with a black background and white text reading "BLACK HISTORY MONTH" on red, yellow, and green rectangles, above the CLASI logo.
Graphic with gray, blue, and white text, reading "WE ARE HIRING - OPEN  POSITIONS: STAFF ATTORNEY - Family Representation Unit - Sussex County; SOCIAL WORKER - Family Representation Unit - New Castle County" next to an image of a bullhorn in blue and gray, on a background of blue, gray, and white, with the CLASI logo in white.
Graphic with black text at the top reading "MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. DAY" above black text reading "CLASI's offices will be CLOSED on Monday, January 19, 2026 in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day" next to a drawing of Martin Luther King Jr. in black and white, with the CLASI logo in white at the bottom.
Screenshot of article on WHYY news website with headline reading "First State Focus: Delaware settles lawsuit that alleged 'systemic failures' with how state provides special education services for prisoners" and the subheadline "The state's consent decree with the Community Legal Aid Society will be monitored by an independent evaluator and U.S. District Court" above a byline for reporter Cris Barrish and a photo of a classroom at James T. Vaughn Correctional Facility in Delaware.
Group photo of CLASI staff taken in Dover, Delaware in December 2025.
Graphic with the CLASI logo at the top and the words "Holiday Schedule" above a table with the dates CLASI will be closed: 12/24, 12/25, 12/26, 12/31, and 1/1, above the words "Please note that CLASI's offices will be closed on the above dates. Happy Holidays!"
Graphic with photo of CLASI and TPM attorneys in front of the federal courthouse in Wilmington, Delaware with text reading: "CASE VICTORY. Settlement secures critical special education reforms for incarcerated students in Delaware. CLASI and public interest firm TPM have reached a major settlement with the Delaware Department of Education to overhaul special education in the state’s prison system after years of systemic failures to provide legally mandated instruction and services to students with disabilities." At the bottom are the CLASI and TPM logos.
Photo of CLASI staff members Gilberte Pierre and Jacky Saez-Rosario standing and smiling in CLASI's Wilmington office next to banker boxes filled with food donations.
Graphic with the title "Health Decision-Making: Implementation of the Revised Uniform Health Care Act CLE" with the text reading "Dover or Zoom" and "December 3, 2025, 8:30 am - 11:30 am, 3 hours of CLE Credit available- In-person or video credit; FREE training" above photos of 7 speakers: The Hon. Selena Molina, Alexandra McFassel, Esq., Marissa Band, Esq., MPAP; Deirdre McCartney, Esq.; Elle Van Dahlgren, Esq.; S. Hope Vella, BSW, MS, and Beth A. Mineo, PhD.
Photo of CLASI attorney Tony Sierzega smiling and sitting behind a table covered with handouts at a networking event at Villanova Law School.
Photo of CLASI attorneys Richard Morse and Anthony Panicola smiling and holding a sign reading "Top Lawyer 2025 Delaware Today"
Graphic with illustrations of a waving American flag in the upper left and lower right corners, with the CLASI logo at the top and the words "Veterans Day November 11, 2025 Honoring and Thanking All Who Have Served" in the center.
Photo of two CLASI staff members smiling behind a table at the Pro Bono Fair hosted by the Young Conaway law firm.
Screenshot of an online article with "Spotlight Delaware" at the top above a headline reading "'Bring her back': Delaware abuse victim rescued from ICE deportation" with a photo of a woman's hands clasped together.
Photo of disability advocates and Rep. DeShanna Neal standing and smiling after the bill signing.
Graphic with a red, white, and blue color scheme and text reading: "Make an impact. Vote local. National Voter Registration Day" above the Disability Rights Delaware logo above text reading "We are a premier partner! Sept 16, 2025. Learn more: NationalVoterRegistrationDay.org"
Graphic featuring a red and blue design, with a blurry image of a woman holding a “VOTE” button that is in-focus as the background. The text reads: “It’s Disability Voting Rights Week!” in white, with the National Disability Rights Network logo in white in the lower right corner.
Photo of CLASI staff members Peyton Carper, Addison Richards, and Emily Luiken smiling behind a table under a tent outside at the Delaware Dept. of Justice Back-to-School Resource Fair in Wilmington.
Graphic with a blue background and white text reading "Comment on Disability Rights Delaware's Proposed Annual Priorities" with two white speech bubbles with blue text reading "We want to hear from you!" and "Comments are due by September 30, 2025" above the logo for Disability Rights Delaware. At the bottom is blue text on a white background reading "Learn more at: tinyurl.com/5n6mvdn4"
Graphic with yellow background and dark purple text reading "RD 20 SPECIAL ELECTION TUESDAY, AUGUST 5 POLLS OPEN FROM 7 AM - 8 PM" and "FOR MORE INFO: VOTEDELAWARE.ORG" and "VOTE411.ORG/DELAWARE" with the logo of the DVRC Delaware Voting Rights Coalition and an image of a hand holding a bullhorn in dark purple and white.
Gray slide with white text reading: “Laws that protect your right to vote accessibly are:” and below that, a bulleted list of laws reading: “the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (VRA); the Voting Accessibility for the Elderly and Handicapped Act of 1984 (VAEHA); the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA); the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (NVRA); the Help America Vote Act of 2002 (HAVA).” A graphic below the text shows a cartoon of people with their ballots waiting in line to use a voting machine.
Slide with white background and Disability Pride flag stripes in the upper right corner. Delaware CLASI logo in the bottom left corner. Grey text reads: “Voting Rights and Disability Pride Month” with a subtitle that reads “What you need to know about voting rights for people with disabilities.” Below the text, a cartoon person puts a ballot into a ballot box, and a cartoon person in a wheelchair holds a disability pride flag and a sign that says “Voting Rights are Disability Rights.”
Graphic with the words "Disability Pride Month" in white over the stripes of the disability pride flag red, gold, white, blue, and green on a faded black background, with images of six people representing different types of disabilities.
Photo of Ann Fisher and John McNeal of the State Council for Persons with Disabilities (SCPD), Rachel Engle and Kristin Harvey of the Delaware Developmental Disabilities Council (DDC), and Marissa Band of CLASI's Disability Rights Delaware program, with Lt. Governor Kyle Evans Gay at Legislative Hall in Dover on June 30, 2025.
Photo of large group of CLASI staff members standing and smiling with Rep. Sarah McBride.
Photo of CLASI Advocacy Director John Whitelaw and Staff Attorneys Valerie Snow and Joanne Curley standing and smiling next to the Great Seal of the State of Delaware, in front of a red curtain.
Graphic with blue and gray text reading "We Are Hiring Open Position: Bilingual Immigration Paralegal Kent County or New Castle County" on a white background, with an icon of a blue and gray megaphone and the CLASI logo in white on a blue background.
Graphic with white text on a blue background reading "HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY! CLASI offices will be closed on Friday, July 4 in observance of Independence Day" above the CLASI logo in white, with fireworks in white.
Graphic with rainbow colored background, rainbow colored flowers, and the words "HAPPY PRIDE MONTH FROM CLASI!" in white text.
Image description: Graphic with a dark blue border around a white background with the Disability Rights Delaware logo at the top, above three speech bubbles with the words "WE WANT YOUR FEEDBACK!" in white on shades of blue, above text in dark blue reading "Disability Rights Delaware is the state’s designated Protection & Advocacy agency, providing free legal assistance and advocacy services to people with disabilities. We are seeking input from Delawareans with disabilities, their families, providers, and the general public to help us determine our areas of focus for the coming year."
Graphic with blue and gray text reading "We Are Hiring Open Position: Social Work Supervisor Family Representation Unit New Castle County" on a white background, with an icon of a blue and gray megaphone and the CLASI logo in white on a blue background.
Image of a flyer with the words "Facing Eviction? Behind on rent? Don't go alone you may qualify for free legal help" above the words "Complete an Intake" and "Delaware Legal Help Link" with a QR code and website link bit.ly/eviction-help-de, with images of a red house and a bird and clouds, and the logos for Delaware Volunteer Legal Services, Legal Services Corporation of Delaware, and Community Legal Aid Society, Inc.
Photo of CLASI advocate Hope Vella in a graduation cap and gown holding flowers and smiling, with friends including CLASI staff attorney Valerie Snow.
Image of WHYY online news story with the headline "'Nothing they can do': Scammers leave SNAP recipients without food assistance after Congress ends reimbursement" with a subheading of "Thieves are able to steal public assistance funds on the state-issued cards because they lack security features credit and debit cards have" with a photo of groceries, above text reading: Gilberte Pierre, a senior attorney with the Community Legal Aid Society, said last year they were able to get thousands of dollars in stolen benefits reimbursed for their clients. But now, Pierre said they can only advise victims to fill out a fraud claim, change the pin or request a new card. “They have to wait another month until their benefits are replenished at that point,” she said. “They have to decide whether or not to pay for groceries, or ‘Do I pay for my rent and utilities? Or do I skip meals? Or do I put things on a credit card and incur more debt?’ So these are tough decisions that they’re faced with.”
Photo of seven CLASI summer interns standing and smiling in a conference room.