Unusual parish ministry: legal aid

By KATHLEEN LAMANNA- | Comments: 0 | Leave a comment

Parishioners at St. Edward's parish in Clifton Park are finding peace of mind about personal legal issues: Joseph Berger, a long-time parishioner, is offering free legal help at the parish center every Wednesday, by appointment.

The legal ministry officially started around Thanksgiving, though it has unofficially been happening for years now.

"Over the years, [on] an on-call basis, when somebody would have a problem at the pastoral care office they would call me up and we would talk," said Mr. Berger, who is the principal partner at Joseph C. Berger and Associates in Clifton Park. "I would meet them at my office and give them free consultations. It just came to me that this could be a ministry through the Church."

Mr. Berger felt that his faith would help him to not only offer legal counsel, but to also encourage people to use prayer as a way to soothe their grief and stress around legal matters.

"I can refer them right there to other parts of the pastoral care" ministry, he said.

Many of the cases Mr. Berger encounters within the church community are "moral dilemmas. I do a lot of family law," he said, noting that he has dealt with issues around child support or employment.

"I've been asked about contracts, breach of contract matters, disputes over properties," he told The Evangelist.

He has also drafted wills for older parishioners.

"I think there's a big need - not just in our parish, but everywhere - for people to find out what their rights are under the law and get a free consultation," he said. "A lot of people are reluctant to go to lawyers because they think [their problem] is too small or lawyers are going to cost them a fortune."

St. Edward's legal ministry will hopefully serve people who feel embarrassed or are unable to afford legal assistance.

"Instead of worrying about things for a long time and never taking action, maybe they will," Mr. Berger explained.

This isn't the only pro-bono work the attorney has done. As a member of the Saratoga County Bar Association, Mr. Berger began a program that offered legal aid for veterans.

"That's sort of where the idea came from" for the parish ministry, he said.[[In-content Ad]]