Reply To: Misplaced priorities

If by sharks, you mean attorneys, in New York they generally bill anywhere from $200.00-$500.00 per hour int he family law world. Assuming the program is done correctly, I would envision anywhere from a 25%-50% discount on those rates plus reimbursement for expenses. Mind you, I do not envision a program to help every poor person going through a divorce. Rather it would be for people who fit certain criteria as their cases are of interest or importance to the Jewish community. At the top of the list for me would be those cases involving an erstwhile Orthodox parent, who has abandoned Orthodoxy and the issues concerning the children that result of that lifestyle choice. A second category would be cases involving a party who is a mesareiv l’din. Concievably other socially important issues could be included as well (i.e. drug abuse, domestic violence etc.). People who have such cases and fall within defined economic criteria would recieve assistance from the program. Depending on how the program is defined would determine the amount of money needed. Ideally, it would be funded out of private philanthropy as well as institutional philanthropy like Federation and/or be made a line item on organizational budgets.