Pro Bono Profile - One Client’s Success Story
by Bruce Perrone, Esq.

"Mary Jane Pickens went above and beyond her job of helping me. I am now a home owner, which I would never in my life be able to do alone because I am on SSI. Its too complicated to explain, but Mary Jane performed a miracle. She treated me with dignity and kindness. An advised me though the whole ordeal. It was like a nightmare dealing with my landlady. If there is an award for excellence Mary Jane should win it hands down. I only had a word of by mouth contract to rent to own my home. It took me over 4 years working on it by myself. Mary Jane helped me at least 5 months. Thank God for the Pro Bono Referral Project and thank you for putting me in touch with a god sent angel Mary Jane Pickens. Sincerely, Mary Brenan."

In May of 1998 Sharon Brenan contacted the Legal Aid Society of Charleston for help. She met first with Jeff Mehalic, a private attorney in Charleston volunteering at Legal Aid one afternoon every 2 or 3 months to do initial interviews and case assessments. Ms. Brenan had lived in a small house for 3½ years with the understanding that 25% of each month’s rent payment would go toward purchase of the house. A few months earlier the owner’s sister had asserted that the arrangement to credit part of each payment to purchase was no longer valid, and that the only way she could buy the house was to obtain ordinary financing to buy. This wasn’t possible for Ms. Brenan, as her sole income was $515 per month in SSI disability benefits. She was hoping a lawyer could help her re-establish the purchase agreement.

Mehalic felt that a volunteer lawyer might be able to negotiate something with the owner on Ms. Brenan’s behalf. Legal Aid’s pro bono coordinator, Jean Audet, telephoned lawyers on the volunteer list until she found Mary Jane Pickens willing and able to take on the matter.

Pickens attempted at first to negotiate the terms of a land sale contract with the landlord. That effort failed, but after further negotiations, the landowner ultimately agreed to owner-finance the property for Ms. Brenan. It then took another eight months to complete the transaction.

"The result was worth the wait," Ms. Pickens commented. "She had been in the property for a number of years as a tenant, and had performed substantial upkeep and renovations to the property. She felt she had turned it into a home for herself and her pets, and had strong emotional ties to the property. It addition, it is my impression of Ms. Brenan that ownership of a home was a matter of personal pride and very important goal for her to achieve at that particular stage of her life."

Mary Jane Pickens concluded "I was happy to help Ms. Brenan reach her goal. She seemed truly grateful for the assistance. Although it was a lengthy process, with several ups and downs along the way, I am glad to know that Ms. Brenan was helped by the efforts of Legal Aid, and I was proud to be a part of the process."