by Christina Jackson, NALP Director of Public Service Initiatives & Fellowships

Happy Friday!  Looking for something to do this weekend?  Check out our Having Fun on the Cheap series on PSJD for great options in a number of cities.

Spotlight on Outstanding Public Servants: If you know someone we should honor, drop me a line.

Here are the week’s headlines:

• The Association of Legal Aid Plans of Canada supports training to help meet legal needs of clients with mental health issues;
• Connecticut Bar Association Young Lawyers Division raises $2.1 million in pro bono service;
• Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid celebrates 100 years of advocacy!;
• Harvard’s Legal Aid Bureau also celebrating 100 years of service;
• Legal aid in Ontario seeing unexpected cuts;
• Good example of creating community partnerships – VA awards $1.4 million to Goodwill;
• Dramatic changes to legal service delivery being discussed in Nova Scotia;
• NY panel to look at ways in-house can provide pro bono and increase access to justice;
• Spotlight on Public Service Servants: Legal Aid of Nebraska is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year;
• Super Music Bonus featuring Kristian Smith, PSJD’s Summer Public Interest Projects & Publications Fellow!

The summaries:

July 11, 2013 – “The Association of Legal Aid Plans of Canada (ALAP) is pleased to announce that the Mental Health Commission of Canada (MHCC) will be partnering with one of ALAP’s member plans, Legal Aid Ontario (LAO), which is piloting a training program set to begin later this year. ” “The MHCC will be working with LAO to train legal aid personnel to identify the signs of mental illness, to understand the stigma attached to mental health, and develop better responses to serving the legal needs of Canadians with mental health issues. This pilot training program is the first such collaboration between the MHCC and a major legal services provider.”  (Wall  Street Journal)

July 14, 2013 – A big congratulations goes out to the YLD of the Connecticut  Bar Association for getting people to provide more than 8400 pro bono hours.  “The goal of the [$1 Million Pro Bono Service Campaign] was to increase pro bono service and awareness throughout the state by facilitating the performance of $1,000,000 worth of pro bono services.”  “Based on the certifications submitted to the YLS, 8768.7 pro bono hours were performed [between November 2012 and February 2013] in connection with the campaign equating to $2,192,175 worth of pro bono services.”  (The Courant)

July 15, 2013 – Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid is 100!  “The work of our staff does make a real difference in the lives of our clients,” said Cathy Haukedahl, executive director of Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid. “As state support for our program has dwindled, the need for our services has expanded. From 2000 – 2010, the number of people in poverty in the area we serve increased by 48 percent. Through these challenging times, our staff has remained strongly committed to securing justice for our clients.”  Congratulations and here’s to many more years of outstanding service. (Access Press)

July 15, 2013– Also turning 100 is Harvard’s Legal Aid Bureau, the oldest student run legal services program in the country.  “The Bureau’s current projects include the Pro Se Divorce Clinic, the Eviction Clinic, and the Foreclosure Task Force, which was a response to the wave of foreclosures in Boston neighborhoods starting in 2007.”  Congratulations and many more!  (Harvard Law School)

July 15, 2013 – John McCamus, head of Legal Aid Ontario has announced a funding cut retroactive to April, 2013.  This cut comes out of the blue for the 77 clinics affected.  “It violated an agreement with the Association of Legal Aid Clinics promising there would be no cuts in 2013.”  “They (officials at Legal Aid Ontario) claim it’s not a breach because the province cut their funding.” says Ivana Peticone, the executive director of ARCH Disability Law Centre.  She disagrees.   Most critics agree McCamus cares about their clients, but this statement sums up their thoughts.  “It is not that policy-makers cut without caring — they cut without understanding the consequences of what they do.” (thestar.com)

July 16, 2013 – “The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs is awarding a $1.4 million grant to Goodwill Industries of Central Oklahoma.”  This grant will be used to provide support services, including legal services, to very low income military veteran families.  “Goodwill plans to work with The City Rescue Mission, The Homeless Alliance, Upward Transitions, Legal Aid Services of Oklahoma, Heartline and Volunteers of America to provide the services.”  (The San Fransisco Chronicle)

July 16, 2013 – “Yale-New Haven Hospital has partnered with the Center for Children’s Advocacy, a statewide nonprofit that protects the legal rights of children who suffer from abuse, neglect or lack of access to critical services, to open the doors to its new Medical- Legal Partnership office on site at Yale-New Haven Hospital.  ‘We’re delighted to team up with the Center for Children’s Advocacy to assist some of our most vulnerable patients and their families,’ said William J. Aseltyne, General Counsel and Senior Vice President, Legal Services at Yale New Haven Health System.”  “In addition to working with New Haven families, Rosenthal and other MLPP staff will conduct trainings with Yale-New Haven Hospital physicians, other healthcare providers and social service staff on legal issues affecting children’s health.”  (Connecticutplus.com)

July 17, 2013 – “The body regulating Nova Scotia lawyers is launching a project that could ‘dramatically change the delivery of legal services’ in the province.  At a council meeting scheduled for Friday, the Nova Scotia Barristers’ Society is due to discuss plans to reform legal regulation and improve access to justice.  A document called ‘Access to Justice – Strategic Priority,’ states: ‘New and innovative models for the delivery of legal services would be an essential component of any access to justice strategy.  At the society, our look at a number of possible regulatory models could result in changes that dramatically change the delivery of legal services.”  (Blog of Canadian Lawyer & Law Times)

July 18, 2013 – “In an effort to beef up the pro bono contributions of in-house counsel, increase the availability of legal services to those in need and address some nagging questions that may impede the ability of corporate attorneys to pitch in, Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman has directed a statewide committee to promptly explore the issues.”  “It is expected that the Advisory Committee on Pro Bono Service by In-House Counsel will present proposals to the Administrative Board of the Courts this fall.”  (New York Law Journal)

Spotlight on Outstanding Public Servants:  Legal Aid of Nebraska is 50!  And for each of those years, they have provided “dignity, hope, self-sufficiency and justice through quality civil legal aid for those who have nowhere else to turn.”  They are making sure there is justice for all.  Congratulations!!  (Legal Aid Nebraska)

Super Music Bonus! From PSJD Summer Public Interest Projects & Publications Fellow Kristian Smith – today the honor of picking the song went to Christina.  This week, we celebrated a lot of pro bono.  So, in honor of the many, many folks who give their time so that others can access the system, we thank you!  – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DysP6hul9PU.