Civil Track Sessions
Thursday, November 17, 2005
Measuring Impact on Clients: A Model to Promote Effective Holistic Representation |
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10:15 am - 11:45 am |
| Come learn about a cutting edge outcomes measurement system that encourages holistic service by identifying client goals and objectives, and developing a plan that has a positive impact on clients’ lives. Counting cases and winning in court are no longer enough. See why funders love it! |
| Megan Sullivan, The Legal Aid Society of Columbus; Jane Foulk, The Legal Aid Society of Columbus; Kathi Schear, The Legal Aid Society of Columbus |
Rural Areas in State Justice Communities |
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10:15 am - 11:45 am |
| Part of the session will be devoted to a discussion of the difference between
“presence” and “access." Presence is the effect of a staffed office (or, perhaps, a group of private
lawyers closely associated with a staff attorney program) on the community it serves—in this case, a rural area.
Access is something else. This session posits that the purpose of programs serving rural areas is presence,
not access. The second part of the session will be devoted to exploring the implications of this view on State
Justice Communities. For example, given that many urban communities have more than one legal services provider
and rural communities do not, should a State Justice community allocate more money to rural areas
(aiming, perhaps, to have the same attorney-client ratio in rural areas as in urban areas, taking all
providers—not just LSC recipients— into account)? |
| John Arango, New Mexico Legal Aid |
Innovative Partnerships for Systemic Reform |
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1:45 pm - 3:15 pm |
| This workshop, geared for both LSC and non-LSC funded programs, will explain how to effectively identify and evaluate systemic reform initiatives, explore ways to recruit major law firms to undertake this work, and discuss various models for partnering with private law firms. |
| Jan Allen May, AARP Legal Counsel for the Elderly; Nina Vinik, Legal Assistance Partnership Project |
Standing Up for Civil Rights in Your State |
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3:30 pm - 5:00 pm |
| During the last ten years the U.S. Supreme Court has handed down a series of decisions that have severely weakened federal laws intended to protect our civil rights. This is a significant reversal for a country that for the better part of the last fifty years has relied on civil rights laws as a way to define freedom and justice in our society. Unfortunately many Americans are unaware of the phenomenon that has come to be known as the “rollback.” For many there is still an assumption that the freedom – to live, work and participate in society without discrimination are still bedrock principles of our country. One group working to educate the public and support restoration efforts is the National Campaign to Restore Civil Rights. Please come join some of the Campaign's staff as they discuss efforts to address the rollback at the state level, and how civil rights advocates from your community can become involved with these efforts. |
| Chris Johnson, New York Lawyers for the Public Interest; Lauren Saunders, National Senior Citizens Law Center; Pretty Maharaja, Office of Senator Charles E. Schumer |
Standards for Evaluating State Civil Justice Systems |
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3:30 pm - 5:00 pm |
| How do you evaluate a state civil justice system and justice community? What standards do state leaders use in planning to improve and expand access to civil justice?
Over the past decade, several detailed sets of standards have been developed at the national level. How do they relate to one another? What are the fundamental principles that should be realized in every state
to achieve civil justice for low-income people? The goal of this moderated, open roundtable discussion is to provide input and guidance to state and national entities addressing these questions. Come prepared
to help address existing standards and consider possibilities for further development. |
| John A. Tull, Moderator |
Friday, November 18, 2005
Disaster Relief and Business Law Pro Bono: Business Lawyers Play Critical Role in Helping Small Businesses and Community Based Organizations Recover from Hurricanes and Other Disasters |
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8:30 am - 10:00 am |
| Business law pro bono projects nationwide leverage the specialized skills of
business lawyers to assist community-based organizations establish and effectively run their organizations,
enabling organizations to fulfill their missions while building bridges between communities and their lawyer
volunteers. This program will provide attendees with tools they can use to represent community- based organizations. Our focus will include client outreach, hot topics for clients and best practices. In addition, we are in the process of hiring a full time staff counsel. It is hoped that person will be the session leader and coordinate the program. Since staff counsel will be working at the ABA Center for Pro Bono, part of the presentation will focus on using the Center’s resources effectively. |
| Peter Carson, ABA Section of Business Law; Anthony Barash,
ABA Center for Pro Bono; Robert Rupp, ABA Section of Business Law; Kathleen McLeroy, ABA Section of Business Law |
Access to Justice Roundtable |
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8:30 am - 10:00 am |
| This session is aimed at states with an Access to Justice or similar state-level entity, as well as states that are planning to create one. Participants are invited to share questions, accomplishments, and challenges. Possible issues include staffing and funding Access to Justice entities and initiatives, building buy-in and support, and dealing with “culture clashes” among participants. |
| Bob Echols, ABA-NLADA Access to Justice Support Project |
Building Bridges, Strengthening Isolated Communities, Part I |
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8:30 am - 10:00 am |
| Two isolated rural areas that lack basic services (in NC & CA) have begun to build bridges between one another as part of their efforts to win equality in services. The communities' efforts are part of an overall strategy to fight for equality, which includes traditional advocacy. We will feature stories and pictures as the main teaching techniques. The stories will be of the community and of the struggle towards equality and how the bridges strategy was devised and is being carried out. |
| Anita Earls, University of North Carolina Center for Civil Rights; Maurice Holland, Sr., Midway Community Association Steering Committee; Maria Jaime, California Rural Legal Assistance; Magdalena Mercado, Committee Concerning Community Involvement; Robert Rubin, Lawyers Committee on Civil Rights |
ABA/SCLAID Civil Standards Hearing |
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8:30 am - 11:45 am |
| The ABA/SCLAID Task Force is revising the ABA Standards for Providers of Civil Legal Services to the Poor. The ABA Standards are intended to present the “gold standard” for the provision of civil legal assistance to people who are poor – excellence in meeting the legal needs of low income people and the communities in which they live. Please join us for the Task Force’s fourth public hearing to share your comments and perspectives on the Proposed Revisions of the ABA Standards for Providers of Civil Legal Services to the Poor. |
| Terry Brooks, ABA Division for Legal Services |
Building a Culture of Mentoring |
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8:30 am - 11:45 am |
| Mentoring is an important element of leadership and professional development. Civil legal aid
programs and public defender programs are developing formal and informal mentoring programs. This session
will highlight programs developed by funders and programs to create a culture of mentoring and coaching. |
| Jeff Sherr, Office of the Kentucky Public Advocate;
Monica Evans, Legal Services Corporation |
State Justice Communities: Building the National Vision |
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10:15 am - 11:45 am |
| The past decade has seen a major expansion of state-level efforts bringing together legal aid providers and the bar, the courts, and other stakeholders to improve and expand civil legal aid delivery systems. This session will review recent developments at the state and national levels and seek to identify consensus and shared vision to guide the efforts of state and national leaders. |
| Hon. Lora Livingston, Moderator; Bill Whitehurst, ABA Standing Committee on Legal Aid and Indigent Defendants; Helaine Barnett, LSC; Karen Sarjeant, LSC; Kathleen Brockel, Law Access New Mexico; Jane Curran, Florida Bar Foundation; Lillian Moy, Legal Aid Society of Northeastern New York; Michele Storms, Northwest Justice Project |
Building Bridges, Strengthening Isolated Communities. Part II |
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10:15 am - 11:45 am |
| Two isolated rural areas that lack basic services (in NC & CA) have begun to build bridges between one another as part of their efforts to win equality in services. The communities' efforts are part of an overall strategy to fight for equality, which includes traditional advocacy. We will feature stories and pictures as the main teaching techniques. The stories will be of the community and of the struggle towards equality and how the bridges strategy was devised and is being carried out. |
| Anita Earls, University of North Carolina Center for Civil Rights; Maurice Holland, Sr., Midway Community Association Steering Committee; Maria Jaime, California Rural Legal Assistance; Magdalena Mercado, Committee Concerning Community Involvement; Robert Rubin, Lawyers Committee on Civil Rights |
Legal Needs Studies Across Civil and Criminal Justice Communities |
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2:15 pm - 3:45 pm |
| The legal needs of low income communities span civil and criminal law and extend much further than the individual client needs we can identify through our standard approaches to evaluating legal needs. This session will explore how states can analyze the problems of low income communities in terms that address and raise the profile of the longer term economic, public health and national security issues they face. |
| Linda Boykin, Potomac Legal Aid Society;
Camille Holmes, Project for the Future of Equal Justice; John Morris Williams, Oklahoma State Bar Association;
James McCauley, Virginia State Bar Association; Ken Smith, The Resource for Great Programs Inc. |
Speaking Truth to Power II: The Client-Attorney Partnership |
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4:00 pm - 5:30 pm |
| Speaking Truth to Power: Vision, Voice & Justice was the second Civil Impact Leadership Conference. This interactive session will focus on creating a culture of co-laboring, and collaboration between clients, attorneys, and staff. Learn how the legal aid and defender community can leverage the new power relationship between clients and programs to do catalytic work and create new allies. |
| Rosita Stanley, NLADA; Edgar Cahn, UDC David Clarke School of Law;
Badi Foster, Phelps Stokes Foundation |
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Saturday, November 19, 2005
Building Capacities to do Systemic Work |
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8:30 am - 10:00 am |
| A major challenge facing every state in the nation is the provision of a full range of systemic advocacy on the full range of issues affecting low-income people. This session will explore a variety of different models for creating and expanding capacities in these areas. |
| Martha Bergmark, Mississippi Center for Justice;
Catherine Carr, Community Legal Services; Annette LoVoi, Appleseed Foundation;
Kent Spuhler, Florida Legal Services Inc.; |
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