Richmond firm takes Hispanic workers' cases pro bono
Sunday, October 29
- Organization: Associated Press
RICHMOND, Va. -- A Richmond law firm is helping Hispanic immigrants with legal problems, including immigration cases and attempts to collect wages from employers.
The effort by Williams Mullen originated after some Hispanic immigrants without Social Security numbers lacked access to groups such as the Virginia Legal Aid Justice Center. The firm has taken on the cases of scores of Hispanics pro bono, collecting more than $63,000 in unpaid wages in the past year and a half, said Robert F. Redmond, who heads the legal team.
"Courts have little patience with cases of unpaid wages," Redmond said.
A team of Williams Mullen lawyers took the case of subcontractor Lucio de Leon Ramirez, who sought help collecting $20,000 in construction wages. So far, Ramirez has received $17,500 from one employer and hopes to collect $3,000 from a second.
The attorneys have had less success with immigration cases because the immigration system is generally more complicated, but they have helped many Hispanics with paperwork and other services, he said.
Ramirez, a native of Guatemala, said the free legal assistance was a godsend. He and his crew worked four weeks for a local contractor, and he had been promised $17,500 for the work, Ramirez said. A $4,760 check from the contractor already had bounced.
Ramirez, who lives with his wife and two children in Chesterfield County, said his insurance company covered the wages for his 11 workers, but he had to borrow from a friend to pay interest on that money.
"I regretted taking the job," he said.
Within days after the lawyers took Ramirez's case, the contractor made the first payment and paid the rest about a week later.
"I think he got scared," Ramirez said.
It's not unusual for Hispanics in construction to get cheated out of their wages, Ramirez said, and many are afraid to report the abuses because they may lack a subcontractor's license, or insurance, or they don't know where to turn.
Redmond said employers who refuse to pay wages tend to take advantage of people.
"They'll seek any opportunity to avoid obligation," he said. "The word of mouth should get out into the Hispanic community about employers who are reliable and trustworthy with wages and those who are not."
The effort by Williams Mullen originated after some Hispanic immigrants without Social Security numbers lacked access to groups such as the Virginia Legal Aid Justice Center. The firm has taken on the cases of scores of Hispanics pro bono, collecting more than $63,000 in unpaid wages in the past year and a half, said Robert F. Redmond, who heads the legal team.
"Courts have little patience with cases of unpaid wages," Redmond said.
A team of Williams Mullen lawyers took the case of subcontractor Lucio de Leon Ramirez, who sought help collecting $20,000 in construction wages. So far, Ramirez has received $17,500 from one employer and hopes to collect $3,000 from a second.
The attorneys have had less success with immigration cases because the immigration system is generally more complicated, but they have helped many Hispanics with paperwork and other services, he said.
Ramirez, a native of Guatemala, said the free legal assistance was a godsend. He and his crew worked four weeks for a local contractor, and he had been promised $17,500 for the work, Ramirez said. A $4,760 check from the contractor already had bounced.
Ramirez, who lives with his wife and two children in Chesterfield County, said his insurance company covered the wages for his 11 workers, but he had to borrow from a friend to pay interest on that money.
"I regretted taking the job," he said.
Within days after the lawyers took Ramirez's case, the contractor made the first payment and paid the rest about a week later.
"I think he got scared," Ramirez said.
It's not unusual for Hispanics in construction to get cheated out of their wages, Ramirez said, and many are afraid to report the abuses because they may lack a subcontractor's license, or insurance, or they don't know where to turn.
Redmond said employers who refuse to pay wages tend to take advantage of people.
"They'll seek any opportunity to avoid obligation," he said. "The word of mouth should get out into the Hispanic community about employers who are reliable and trustworthy with wages and those who are not."
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