Berks County Bar Association The Berks Barrister Summer 2020 - 7

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"Viva la
Revolution!"
Impacts Berks
and Beyond

M

ore than fifty years ago, Attorney Gerald P. Sigal,
who died in 2010, had a vision. It was to provide the
low-income people of Berks County with free legal
representation.
Beginning in 1964, funding was being made available for
legal services by the federal government's Office of Economic
Opportunity. With that as an impetus, Gerry led the effort to
create Tri-County Legal Services, serving Berks, Lancaster and
York Counties.
Incorporated in 1969, Gerry was president of Tri-County's
first board of directors, a board that included two other Reading
attorneys, William R. Bernhart and Geoffrey M. Stoudt, along
with seven others collectively from York and Lancaster Counties.
As set forth in the Articles of Incorporation, the mission was "to
provide legal service, aid and assistance for persons or groups who
appear worthy thereof but are unable to pay for such services..."

Four Delinquents
An early attorney in Tri-County's
Reading office was Gene Zenobi,
a character with a creative legal
mind, if not genius, who had come
from Miami. He was working solo
when Louis M. Shucker arrived in
November 1971. A year later, Gene
and Lou were joined by Lee Rothman
and Mark Weinstein. The four
became fast friends and, within a year,
became roommates, renting a double
farmhouse on 10 acres of land in Stony
Creek.
Gerry Sigal was determined that his vision would succeed.
According to Lou, Gerry "was immensely helpful in assisting four

By Donald F. Smith, Jr., Esquire
'adult delinquents' in learning to practice law and become part of
the Berks legal community." He helped fix up the house, and he
and his wife, Norma, had them over for dinner frequently as well
as hosting an annual picnic for the office. The four "delinquents"
came to think of Gerry and Norma as their Uncle and Aunt.
Lou wrote an article for the Spring 2012 issue of The Berks
Barrister titled "Pioneering Legal Services in Berks County." In
the piece he describes Gene, Lee, Mark and himself as being
"committed to the cause of legal services. We all possessed a
passion for the work and a naïveté that we could change the world.
Our rallying cry was 'Viva la Revolution!'"

Revolutionary Changes
They may not have changed the world, but they did succeed
in having an impact in Berks County and beyond. Petitions for
In Forma Pauperis were not being well received. At the time, all
were being assigned to President Judge Warren Hess, who would
drill the petitioner: "Do you smoke cigarettes? If you would stop
for six months, you would have enough money to pay for your
divorce." Or, "Do you have family? Why can't they help you?"
The county solicitor opposed each petition. At one point, the
office was 0 for 23 in having petitions granted.
As Lou describes it in the 2012 article: "However, what we
may have lacked in legal knowledge and skill we made up for in
persistence. Not only did we continue to bring cases before Judge
Hess, but we appealed a number to the Superior Court as did our
colleagues in other counties. Soon, I suppose, the courts became
weary of hearing the appeals and the Supreme Court enacted Rule
240 granting automatic in forma pauperis status in many cases."
The four frequently appeared before Federal District Judge
E. Mac Troutman, who took a liking to the legal aid attorneys.
In one such case, a tenant renting from the Reading Housing
Authority was about to be evicted. At the time, RHA's practice
continued on next page
Summer 2020 | 7
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Berks County Bar Association The Berks Barrister Summer 2020

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