Shook Partner John Lyons Provides Pro Bono Services to Over-Taxed Mobile Homeowners

After reading an article about the financial hardship experienced by mobile homeowners outside of Philadelphia resulting from the over-taxation of their mobile homes that had depreciated  in value, Shook Partner John Lyons decided to help. “I reached out to see if there was a role for Shook and Legal Aid of Southeastern Pennsylvania did the same thing,” Lyons said.

Combining forces with Legal Aid of Southeastern PA and the United Way of Chester County, Lyons ended up taking on much more of a strategic advisory role because of the number of cases and logistical issues involved. The resulting pilot program, possibly the only one of its kind in the U.S., is described in, “How One Quiet Man’s Efforts to Help Those in Need in Chester County Turned Into a Loud Call to Action.”

In 2019, this pilot project appealed the assessments of 177 mobile homes, which resulted in a collective drop of $171,580 in taxes per year for the mobile homeowners.