Lawyers offer legal tips to Topekans on how to get driver's licenses back
TOPEKA (KSNT) - Kansas Legal Services is holding a special clinic this weekend to help Topekans with suspended driver's licenses hit the road again.
27 News spoke with Director of Driver's License Restoration Project Micah Tempel to learn more about how this special opportunity can benefit locals with suspended licenses. He said the clinic is meant to help Topekans learn the ins and outs of how to get their licenses back with professional legal help from lawyers with Kansas Legal Services.
"Each situation is a little different, but what's the same with all of them is once you're suspended, it ignites a web of bureaucracy that is difficult to navigate," Tempel said.
These services are provided free of charge to attendees. However, people must be at or below 125% of the federal poverty guidelines and walk-ins are not guaranteed an appointment. Tempel said the focus is on people from a lower socio-economic status.
"This will be our second clinic," Tempel said. "In the past, we did one back in January. We were able to serve about 60 people that day. They met with attorneys and left with steps to get their licenses back."
Tempel said Kansas Legal Services is working with the local municipal court to arrange for special dockets to hear motions to help people get their licenses back and take care of tickets. These efforts are meant to also have the secondary impact of getting people back to work by restoring their ability to travel longer distances.
"When your license is taken away, you can't get to work," Tempel said. "Getting a new, better job is hard. That's a drain on the community as a whole, not just on the individual."
The clinic will be from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, March 9 at the Topeka Independent Resource Center at 1921 SE Indiana Avenue. To register for the event, email klsprobono@klsinc.org or call 800-723-6954. Another suspended driver's license clinic will be on June 18. You can learn more about Kansas Legal Services by visiting its website by clicking here.
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