TO THE EDITORS:

I believe in competition. Healthy competition is a venue through which the outstanding shine and the mediocre fade. Lancaster's highly touted, but often elusive and evasive low-income MidPenn Legal Services may need to sharpen its pencils to survive in the near future.

Based upon experience, and according to many complaints I hear from friends and associates, low-income legal services are often unavailable to clients who need this service.

Countless parents were turned away on a regular basis. They were usually told that no attorneys are available. Individuals who sought representation presented their situation over the phone, and again during an intake session at the legal organization's office. The return phone call they expected never came.

My personal experience in 2006 with the MidPenn involved meeting with an attorney when I continued to call every week until an attorney "became available.'' I was told that he would not represent me on all aspects of my case, but agreed to provide counsel for me in an upcoming hearing. The outcome was a total disaster, and I am still paying a high price for that representation.

The Lancaster County Bar Association's lawyer referral system claims to find attorneys that meet an individual's needs, but after exploring that avenue, I found that using this service made no difference in cost.

Subsequently, fine guidance, as well as some legal advice, has come to me from a fine organization called Pennsylvania Families Association. Their law office provides services for low-income parents, and they are enthusiastic, knowledgeable and competent. Their law office is in direct competition with what used to be the only service of this type in Lancaster.

From my perspective, there really isn't any competition or comparison between the two. Pennsylvania Families Association gladly "stepped up to the plate,'' filling a need by representing thousands of clients in just a few short weeks. Someone is always available to talk to, most of the personnel can relate to a client's situation because they've been through "the system'' themselves.

I am looking forward to the day when I hear that clients have been referred to PFA as the first and best choice for low-income legal representation. It's about time that parents and their children have what they legally should have always had.

Gail Bodish
Manor Township