< PreviousFor a patent attorney at a first- time meeting with a new client, these questions inevitably arise: “Who is going to own the patent ap- plication and eventual patent?” and “Why can’t my LLC file for the pat- ent application?” At this point we start explaining, but the client’s eyes soon cross and glaze over. Being ex- perienced attorneys in these matters, we just channel Bob Marley and say, “Don’t worry ‘bout a thing.” We are fixers! WHO CAN FILE FOR A PATENT APPLICATION? The answer to this question does not start with Genesis, but close. It starts with the U.S. Constitution (Ar- ticle I, Section 8): “The Congress shall have Power . . . To promote the Prog- ress of Science and useful Arts, by se- curing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discov- eries.” We are not aware of a U.S. Supreme Court case that has dealt directly with the issue of who or what an inventor can be (i.e., a dog, a software pro- gram, an alien lifeform, etc.). When our Constitution was written, soft- ware programs did not exist and alien lifeforms (excluding divinity) were not commonly written about (and we think, therefore, not intended to be inventors). We can fairly assume that the primary constitutional author, James Madison, did not intend for animals to be recognized as inventors. There may be those who disagree with this assumption and we welcome you to write your own article. We promise to read it! Accordingly, our discussion here is based on the premise that an inventor has to be a Homo sapiens, a human person. You should note, however, that the inventor does not have to be alive to file a patent application. There is a procedure for this situa- tion, and it is not a séance. As far as an LLC, a corporation or some other legal entity, we will get to that. Be pa- tient. As for patent application filings, Congress has explained: “An applica- tion for patent shall be made, or au- thorized to be made, by the inventor . . . .” 35 USC § 111. Thus, a Homo sapiens has to file the application but the Homo sapiens can “assign” the application and invention to anyone or anything that can accept property under U.S. law (usually con- trolled by state law). So, a dog could own a patent application, if a state’s law permits dogs to own property, but a Homo sapiens has to “assign” the patent application to that dog. This can be done because we are fixers! WHAT DOES THE WORD “ASSIGN” MEAN? ‘Assign” is the act by which one person transfers to another, or causes to vest in that other, the whole of the right, interest, or property of that person (see Black’s Law Dictionary). This transfer by “assignment” occurs via a written document as compared to physical delivery. An assignment Incomplete Musings on Patent Ownership Z. PETER SAWICKI AND JAMES L. YOUNG | Intellectual Property Z. PETER SAWICKIJAMES L. YOUNG Mr. Sawicki and Mr. James L. Young are shareholders at Westman, Champlin & Koehler. Pete and Jim both have over 30 years of experience obtaining, licensing, evaluating and enforcing patents. Each has also developed an extensive practice regarding the clearance, registration, licensing and enforcement of trademarks. They work closely with clients to understand their values and business plans and provide customized and effective strate- gies for intellectual property asset procurement, growth, management and protection. To contact Z. Peter Sawicki, call (612) 330-0581 or call James L. Young at (612) 330-0495. Please email them directly at either psawicki@wck.com or jyoung@wck.com. ATTORNEY AT LAW MAGAZINE · MINNESOTA · V OL. 9 NO. 9 10The Congress shall have Power . . . To promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries.” is the typical legal instrument that permits a legal entity such as an LLC to own a patent application and the eventual patent. A simple patent ap- plication assignment is typically about a page long and is recorded in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office so that third parties have notice of who owns the patent application (and resulting patent). The usual assignment is a total and irrevocable transfer, but it does not have to be. An assignment can be conditional, having terms (financial or otherwise) that if not met will re- scind the assignment. When does an assignment quit being an assignment and become a license? In a license, permission to practice the invention is given to someone else but ownership is not transferred. MULTIPLE INVENTORS Most inventions have more than one inventor. If the patent applica- tion is filed naming multiple inven- tors (with no assignment), then the patent application and the eventual patent will be jointly owned, typically in “joint tenancy.” Joint ownership, whether in joint tenancy or tenancy in common, should be avoided. There may be situations where joint owner- ship makes sense or if an agreement amongst the inventors is carefully drafted. However, without such an agreement each inventor may do with the patent rights as he or she wishes even if the subsequent actions are di- rectly in competition with the other inventor(s). Royalties do not have to be shared, and in joint tenancy there is a right of survivorship which can be surprising to one’s heirs. One solution to this is to assign all of the inventors’ rights to a legal en- tity such as an LLC or corporation. That LLC or corporation will then be the only one that can exploit the patent, and the distribution of any monetary rewards from the patent can be done according to the hope- fully well-crafted by-laws of the LLC or corporation. There are other solutions but as the title of this article states, these mus- ings are incomplete. For complete- ness, contact your local patent attor- ney.Remaking America INTO A HOUSE OF EQUALITY BY H. K. WILSON BROUGHT TO YOU BY ATTORNEY AT LAW MAGAZINE · MINNESOTA · V OL. 9 NO. 9 12In September, Attorney at Law Magazine part- nered with the Min- nesota Association of Black Lawyers (MABL) to host a panel discussion with representatives from seven Minnesota bar organiza- tions, moderated by the Honorable JaPaul J. Harris. The purpose of this discussion was to give a voice to affin- ity bars in the wake of recent tragedies — including the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Ar- bery and others. Many thanks to this presentation’s sponsor, Shepherd Data Services, to Judge Harris, and to each of the panelists who shared their in- sights about how to bring about last- ing, systemic change in the areas of racial and social justice. The Honorable JaPaul J. Harris was appointed to the Second Judicial District in Ramsey County, Minneso- ta by Governor Mark Dayton in 2018. Judge Harris served as a judicial ref- eree in Hennepin County from 2012 to 2018, presiding over housing court, harassment court, juvenile court, mental health civil commitment court and petty misdemeanor court. Judge Harris is a member of the Min- nesota Supreme Court Committee for Equality and Justice, where he serves as chair of the education committee. Uzodima Franklin Aba-Onu is a shareholder and chair of the Pro Bono Committee at Bassford Remele, P.A. His litigation practice focuses on employment, professional liabil- ity and general liability matters. Aba- Onu currently serves as the president of the Minnesota Association of Black Lawyers (MABL). Darnell Cage is an associate at Fae- gre Drinker, where he counsels clients in intellectual property matters. Cage currently serves as co-chair of the Emerging Leaders Group (ELG) for Twin Cities Diversity in Practice (TC- DIP). He is also a leader of the Wan- ton Injustice Legal Detail (WILD) ini- tiative within TCDIP. Kelvin Collado is a product li- ability trial and appellate litigator at Faegre Drinker. He also maintains a robust pro bono practice fighting for social justice causes and under- represented communities. Collado currently serves as treasurer of the Minnesota Hispanic Bar Association (MHBA). Dyan Ebert is a shareholder at Quinlivan & Hughes, P.A. and was the first woman to serve as the firm’s CEO. Ebert holds, or has held, leader- ship roles in many national, state and local professional organizations. She became president of the Minnesota State Bar Association (MSBA) in July 2020. Dadri-Anne Graham is a lawyer with the Law Department of Cargill, Incorporated. She is the co-chair of the Emerging Leaders Group (ELG) for Twin Cities Diversity in Practice (TCDIP). She, along with the other co-chair Darnell Cage, birthed the WILD (Wanton Injustice Legal De- tail) initiative. Ann Jenrette-Thomas is the first Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer at Stinson LLP, where she oversees the implementation of the firm’s Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan. Jenrette also represents the Minnesota Asian Pacific American Bar Association (MNAPABA). Breia Schleuss is a finance and banking partner at Faegre Drinker, where she is a member of the Finance & Restructuring Practice Group and co-chairs Faegre Drinker’s Food and Agribusiness Industry Team. She is also president of Minnesota Women Lawyers (MWL). Brandon Vaughn is a partner at Robins Kaplan LLP, where he rep- resents plaintiffs in personal injury, medical malpractice and product liability actions. Vaughn currently serves on the firm’s Diversity Com- mittee. He is president elect of the Hennepin County Bar Association (HCBA). We brought all of you together to talk about what we’re doing to promote social and racial equity, what are we doing to increase diversity and inclusion in our profession, highlight the work that we’re all doing, and to reflect on our challenges as well as our successes, and create a road map moving forward to deal with this reckoning on racism.” AttorneyAtLawMagazine.com 13There is a modern fable called, “The Story of the Elephant and the Giraffe,” written by R. Roosevelt Thomas. The story tells about a day when Giraffe invited his friend Elephant into his specially designed home, built with “soaring ceilings and tall doorways, high windows with lots of light and narrow hallways that conserved space.” It didn’t take long, however, for the friends to discover that Elephant did not fit comfortably inside the house. Giraffe suggested that Elephant might fit better and be lighter on his feet if he took up aer- obics or ballet.“‘Perhaps,’ said the elephant, ‘but to tell you the truth, I’m not sure that a house designed for a giraffe would ever re- ally work for an elephant, unless there were major changes.’” This story illustrates the power dynamic of diver- sity and inclusion. Giraffe represents the majority; it is Giraffe’s house, and the house was not built with Elephant in mind. The story makes plain that it is not possible for all people to fit into an environ- ment or system that is built for only one type of person. Yet, today’s America is much like Giraffe’s house. The question is, how do we transform the house to ac- commodate everyone? Judge Harris com- menced the discussion by stating that the recent deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ah- maud Arbery have cre- ated a reckoning in Min- nesota and beyond. He asked the participants to share a moment of silence to say the victims’ names and hold them in their thoughts. Then began a candid conversation with the leaders of the various bar organizations repre- sented. He said, “We brought all of you together to talk about what we’re doing to promote social and racial equity, what are we doing to increase diversity and inclusion in our profession, high- light the work that we’re all doing, and to reflect on our challenges as well as our successes, and create a road map moving forward to deal with this reckoning on racism.” As participants introduced themselves, they chimed in on the purpose of the discussion and the reasons why their organizations were com- ing together on the issues. Aba-Onu stated, “… These conversations are difficult, but they’re needed, and we are perfect- ly situated to make changes that will be positive not only for our communities, but for the legal community as well.” Graham said, “With our unique position as affinity bar organization leaders, it is the right time now for us to be not working in silo, but in collaboration with each other to really address some of the systemic anti-black racism that we’re seeing … .” Schleuss added, “Following the tragic death of George Floyd, Minnesota Women Lawyers issued a statement, and we had quoted the words of Sarah Grimké. She was born in 1792. She spoke words that really resonated with our current moment, unfortunately. She wrote, ‘I ask for no favors for my sex. I surrender not to our claim to equality. All I ask of our brethren is that they will take their feet from off of our necks and permit us to stand upright.’ It’s 200 years later, and the metaphor remains tragically literal. From our perspective, we need to do bet- ter … to intervene and advocate for change.” She continued, “To be true to the mission we have set for ourselves to advance the success of women lawyers and strive for a just society, we must walk toward this injustice and be present and active.” As an affinity organization that is itself di- verse in membership, MWL is focusing this year on addressing systemic racism and dis- crimination in the legal profession, helping its members to discover how to utilize their voices and role as lawyers to change institutions for the better. MWL is “reviewing all committees and affinity groups’ action plans to identify how do we do deeper work, how do we connect and collaborate with others in the affinity bars and then how do we move from … a lot of program- ming focused on the individual or the personal … and really start shifting to systemic change. How do we change institutions? That is one of our primary goals this year.” THE HONORABLE JAPAUL J. HARRIS UZODIMA FRANK- LIN ABA-ONU DARNELL CAGE ATTORNEY AT LAW MAGAZINE · MINNESOTA · V OL. 9 NO. 9 14MORE DIVERSITY AT THE BOARD TABLE Judge Harris observed that while the indi- viduals on the panel reflected great diversity among men and women, they are often the only people of color or minorities represented at their individual board tables. He asked, “What can we do to break that ceiling and get a lot of our tables looking like what we see here tonight, where you have different folks with different ideas and lots of people of color?” Cage answered, “I think it really begins with empathy, so knowing and having an under- standing for the folks in your community. That’s one thing that we’ve tried to build with our initiatives in TCDIP, is connecting lawyers … to community members, folks who have been boots on the ground and folks who have differ- ent experiences than most of our attorneys do. … As we connect and have those conversations and build empathy toward each other and to- ward our community … recognizing that the reality of a lot of folks differs from across the spectrum, only then can you start to appreciate the perspective that diverse folks can bring to the table, and then that makes it more sought after to do so. I think empathy builds that at- tractiveness to having those critical masses of folks in the room, and we can build empathy by making those connections and networking … .” Jenrette pointed out that there are many bar- riers to entry in the legal profession, from law school to the employment realm, where un- written institutional rules and polices maintain the status quo while disadvantaging those who have been historically marginalized. “We’re es- sentially trying to get people of color, women, LGBT individuals to fit into a mold that was designed for elite white men — for the success, primarily, of other elite white men.” She then introduced the fable of the Elephant and the Giraffe. “So when I talk about disman- tling systems of oppression, I’m essentially say- ing, What do we need to do to change the house so that it can fit everyone?” WHITE LAWYERS AS ALLIES After the murder of George Floyd, many white lawyers began asking how they can be al- lies in the fight against systemic racism. Judge Harris asked Schleuss about MWL’s stance on the issue. She answered, “If you’re sitting in a room, and you do not see people who look differently than you, ask, who else should be part of this conversation? … If we could see our historically white, male leadership take the time to really address these issues and engage in conversa- tions and training — and not just passive training, but experiential learning and training with all of the partners at a firm or within a corporate legal department — I think that would go a long way.” Graham underscored the importance of ally- ship. “We talk about as- sociates really needing sponsors to be the ones to talk them up when they’re not around. They’re the ones who are going to really have access to leaders who will be in a position to help that associate … I think about some of this work in the same way. And when I use the term ally, specifically in this context, I am talking about our white allies … I think we should apply the sponsor- ship method there. Those white people in our orga- nizations, on our boards, they’re the ones who re- ally need to speak up ….” Graham continued, “It really goes to the idea that being an ally is an action verb. It’s not a noun. Be- ing an ally means you are doing something … . The white people who are in our organizations … re- ally need to not back down and really help bring their fellow white people along with them … It’s holding everybody accountable to the state- ments that they’ve made to their members and then to the community at large.” LAWYERS AS AGENTS OF CHANGE In recent years, the HCBA has begun to take a look at its leadership and change it to reflect the demographics of the legal profession. It has become more engaged in the community, from community early educa- tion, to educating law- yers about how to make an impact beyond legal circles. When asked why it was important for the KELVIN COLLADO DYAN EBERT DADRI-ANNE GRAHAM AttorneyAtLawMagazine.com 15HCBA to participate in this conversation, Vaughn answered, “In order to bring about meaningful change, it needs to be a community effort. … My challenge to the HCBA and to the affinity bars is to hold us accountable and let us know what we can do to be an ally and continue to be an ally in the fight, be- cause you’ve got a system of oppression that’s been established for 400-plus years, and it isn’t going to be dismantled over- night.” He added that there is something ev- eryone can contribute, whether it is marching, providing money or lobbying efforts. “Figure out what you can do that makes you comfortable, and be involved.” The discussion turned to the ways in which lawyers are especially equipped to lead societal change and what they can do to address the laws and norms that enable racism. Jenrette urged large law firms with access to wealth, boards and peo- ple in leadership to use their influence to de-bias systems. “There is actu- ally so much we can do. We are in positions of power and privilege. … Part of it is just know- ing that there are different ways in which we can contribute. All of us understand and can interpret the law. We have access to making changes within the law, to how we interpret cases, what we bring forth. In terms of what we can specifically do to address anti-racism, I would encourage every organization to join the Law Firm Antiracism Al- liance (LFAA). This is just a network of law firms, predominantly, but also some corporate, in-house departments who are joining forces to use their pro bono efforts to specifically address systemic racism. And so what that organization is doing right now is compiling a number of different laws that are racist or keep racism intact, and trying to address them one by one. “We have the ability to do impact litigation, but we can’t do it in a vacuum. We really need to make sure that we are partnering with dif- ferent community organizations, grass roots organizations and, similarly, this is what was done during the Civil Rights movement. It was a combination of very thoughtful legal strategy and impact litigation coupled with a grass roots movement that complemented each other.” Collado added, “We can begin by addressing this in our offices, by calling it out when we see it. It becomes less scary when we’ve all made a commitment to each other that we’re all in it to- gether, and we’re going to do this.” Judge Harris asked how lawyers are stepping outside law circles and building trust by inter- acting with the community. Graham commented that building trust with the community means showing up and follow- ing through on work the legal community has committed to. She also encouraged lawyers to cooperate with community organizations to look at barriers outside the legal profession, like inequities in health care and K-12 education, that negatively impact minority populations from birth. “We’re people first, before we’re law- yers,” she said. TCDIP is encouraging both corporate and private practice member organizations to bring their resources and work alongside community organizations. The Wanton Injustice Legal De- fense (WILD) initiative began as a partnership with community organizations and has evolved to also become a collaboration with affinity bars. Through WILD, TCDIP is fostering edu- cation equality and Black wealth and opportu- nity initiatives, to name a few. Diverse minority populations exist not only in urban Minnesota, but in rural areas as well. Judge Harris turned to Ebert and the MSBA — Minnesota’s largest and, therefore, most diverse bar association — to capture the outstate per- spective on the issues. Ebert, “I think it is easy for people from Greater Minnesota to say, ‘That’s a Minneapolis problem,’ and that’s just not the case. … We have pockets of these problems and these issues that are bubbling up and surfacing in all areas of our state. I guess I would say if one thing good has come from COVID, this platform (Zoom) has given us the ability to have those communica- tions in a way we probably never imagined. … As one person, we can’t do very much, but as a collective, we can do so much more. I have that (Helen Keller) phrase in my office on a plaque, and I go back to that often. … We all have great ANN JENRETTE- THOMAS BREIA SCHLEUSS BRANDON VAUGHN ATTORNEY AT LAW MAGAZINE · MINNESOTA · V OL. 9 NO. 9 16ideas individually, but just imagine how loud our voice is when we’re all talking to- gether.” When asked what MABL is doing to seize on the moment, Aba-Onu answered, “Our goal is to continue to educate … and also to provide people with the tools so they can help themselves and their self- representation. So one of the big things that we’re doing is that we’re focusing on the le- gal community on one side and focusing on the black community, or community at large, on the other side.” As an example, MABL is supporting voter education and registration, and orga- nized an October voter town hall in part- nership with the MHBA. IF NOT NOW, WHEN? Judge Harris stated that he could not a remember a time in his career when all of the bar organizations have spoken with such power and with one voice. He com- mended the organizations for issuing pub- lic statements in response to the killing of George Floyd and other atrocities, and for actively endorsing the statements of each other. He asked what has moved each one to lend a bolder voice to the issues. Collado responded, “I think, frankly, it’s our civic duty to make sure that when is- sues like this occur, we speak with a unified voice when we highlight the ongoing, sys- tematic issues in our society. It’s important that our government represents the com- munity that it serves.” Schleuss added, “Within our commu- nity, we’ve really seen what happens when we don’t have or we don’t use our voices to intervene, and it has tragic consequences. So we, as an organization and as individu- als, really want to identify ways in which we can utilize our own voices, amplify the voices of others, and when there are times when you feel like you can’t use your own voice … that you can come to our organi- zations and find support, and allow us as organizations to help amplify the voices of others for the betterment of our commu- nity.” In closing comments, Jenrette said, “If all of us continue to band together and sup- port each other, and recognize that we have a lot more to gain together than by being divided, we will see significant change, not just within the legal profession, but within our society at large.” Aba-Onu added, “If not us, who? If not now, when? … I believe with all my heart — if our legal profession, our public ser- vants, were more diverse, there were more women, more people of color in the places in the room where it matters, we would have a more fair … system.” Judge Harris concluded, “Folks are sick and tired of being sick and tired. They’re fed up with business as usual, and the heartening thing is that it’s not just black and brown folks anymore, it’s our allies, it’s white folks saying, ‘You know what? Enough is enough!’ We are in a moment where now, change is happening, and we are moving forward, but we have to learn from the past. We need to keep the mo- mentum moving forward, and there is go- ing to come a time when that momentum slows. That’s going to be the time where we need to raise our voices, get behind that momentum, and continue to push it so we actually get the change we need. We need to continue to communicate with one an- other and work towards the goal that we all have, which is equal access to the law for all of us.” In 2019, the American Association of Physical Anthropologists released the “AAPA Statement on Race & Racism.” The associa- tion stated that since humans share 99.9% of their DNA, “race does not provide an ac- curate representation of human biological variation. It was never accurate in the past, and it remains inaccurate when referencing contemporary human populations. Humans are not divided biologically into distinct con- tinental types or racial genetic clusters. In- stead, the Western concept of race must be understood as a classification system that emerged from, and in support of, European colonialism, oppression, and discrimination. It thus does not have its roots in biological reality, but in policies of discrimination.” If racism is a construct, then we can de- construct it. After a Louisville grand jury’s decision not to indict officers for the murder of Breonna Taylor, the content of this discussion has taken on new urgency. We ask all who read these highlights or watch the video to do so with an eye toward remaking America into a house that is a haven for everyone in our beautifully diverse nation. View the full panel discussion on Attor- neyAtLawMagazine.com. I think, frankly, it’s our civic duty to make sure that when issues like this occur, we speak with a unified voice when we highlight the ongoing, systematic issues in our society. It’s important that our government represents the community that it serves.” AttorneyAtLawMagazine.com 17Kay Graham, a retired musician and teacher, has owned her Uptown Minneapolis home for over 30 years. As the population and popularity of the neighborhood shift- ed, her property taxes more than tri- pled. Graham could no longer make ends meet on her fixed income, so she converted two spare rooms and be- came an Airbnb host. That was a good solution – until COVID19. Graham’s last guest in March of 2020 had been traveling for business and wanted to quarantine before go- ing home to his family. When he left, Graham retired her listings temporar- ily to comply with the governor’s “so- cial distancing” guidelines. Graham has a reverse mortgage on her home with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Thanks to Airbnb, she had savings for her next property tax pay- ment, but future income seemed un- certain. When the IRS extended its due date for income taxes, she called her servicer, NOVAD, to see if a simi- lar deferment was available for prop- erty taxes. NOVAD offered to make her May tax payment if she agreed to a monthly repayment plan. Graham asked for the agreement in writing, and was assured the paperwork was on its way, and her property taxes would be paid. In a few days the paperwork ar- rived, but it was not the agreement she expected. Instead, Graham was told her mortgage was in default due to delinquent taxes. The full amount of the loan was due and payable by June 19, or she would face foreclosure. “I was terrified,” says Graham, who went through a foreclosure scare back in 2016. “It’s hard for me to even talk about because my voice starts to shake.” A social worker referred Graham to Legal Aid Staff Attorney Brittany Mc- Cormick. When McCormick realized Graham’s reverse mortgage was with HUD, she reached out to a contact there. In less than 24 hours, NOVAD called Graham with an apology and admission of error: Her loan was in Active Status and her property taxes were current. “I knew who to contact, and it was easily fixed,” says McCormick. “But what are people supposed to do if they can’t get a lawyer? Kay wouldn’t know who to contact at HUD, and it’s not like she could call the 1-800 num- ber for a resolution. We tried that, and it got us nowhere.” In June, Graham put her studio back on the market, but the first guest balked at wearing a mask in common areas. With one shared bathroom and a narrow hallway, it was impossible to maintain distance and safety. Graham realized she couldn’t host during the pandemic. “So many seniors live on a shoe- string budget and have to supplement their guaranteed income,” McCor- mick says. “Any dip in income can be frightening. The pandemic is iso- lating, it’s hard on everyone’s mental health, and when you add the threat of financial catastrophe and loss of a home, it’s terrible.” McCormick suspected Graham might be eligible for unemployment insurance (UI). She referred her to Staff Attorney Cristin Burnett, who helped her navigate the on-line appli- cation process. Thanks to Legal Aid’s wraparound services, Graham qualified for weekly unemployment benefits. With that and her fixed income, she was able to pay her property taxes without us- ing NOVAD’s repayment plan. The temporary benefits provided a much- needed safety net, stabilizing the situ- ation for now. “It never dawned on me that things would get so expensive!” says Gra- ham. “I was lost and on my own. Brittany reassured me. She was kind and didn’t patronize. I’m so grateful to have had these caring, competent lawyers stand with me in my time of crisis. Thank you, Legal Aid!” MID-MINNESOTA LEGAL AID PROVIDES FREE CIVIL LEGAL ADVICE AND REPRE- SENTATION TO MINNESOTANS WHO CAN- NOT AFFORD AN ATTORNEY. LEGAL AID SERVES PEOPLE WITH LOW INCOMES IN 20 COUNTIES AND PEOPLE WITH DISABIL- ITIES STATEWIDE. Safety Net in a Pandemic BY LEYKN SCHMATZ So many seniors live on a shoestring budget and have to supplement their guaranteed income, any dip in income can be frightening. The pandemic is isolating, it’s hard on everyone’s mental health, and when you add the threat of financial catastrophe and loss of a home, it’s terrible.” AttorneyAtLawMagazine.com 19Next >