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

Happy Friday!  Welcome to December.  If you are looking for job search tips to employ during your winter break, look no further  than the Resource Center on PSJD.

Here are the week’s headlines:

• Alberta (Canada) Justice launches review of legal aid;
• Dentons supports Atlanta’s Westside neighborhoods revitalization with multi-year pro bono commitment;
• Mississippi Supreme Court approves new student rule allowing more work for the poor;
• Chief Judge Lippman announces creation of Legal Hand in New York;
• Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and The Cumberland hires first technology director;
• U.S. lawmakers launch legal aid caucus;
• Texas legal aid group receives $20,000 grant to assist immigrants;
• The Association of Pro Bono Counsel publishes its inaugural annual report;
• Spotlight on Public Service Servants;
• Super Music Bonus!

The summaries:

November 25, 2015 – “The government-led review will start mid-December and will look at the affordability and sustainability of legal aid, its governance model, what services Legal Aid Alberta should offer, financial eligibility guidelines for clients, and pay for lawyers. It will also suggest a long-term strategy to deal with court orders for publicly funded representation. ‘The current structure and delivery of legal aid is struggling to meet the challenges of a growing population,’ Justice Minister Kathleen Ganley said Wednesday. On a recent day, Legal Aid Alberta fielded 1,100 phone calls, compared to last year’s daily average of 600. Between July and September, the society saw a 33% increase in certificates issued for legal representation. ‘We want to make sure we are protecting the most vulnerable Albertans by provided adequate access to legal services,’ Ganley said. ‘At the same time, we also have a responsibility to ensure that tax dollars are spent prudently.'” “Legal Aid Alberta said it will co-operate with the government-led review as long as experts and those affected are consulted. Ganley said a comprehensive consultation process will kick off with interviews, focus groups, online surveys and written submissions. The review is expected to cost less than $100,000 and be finished by spring 2016.” (Edmonton Journal)

November 25, 2015 – “Global law firm Dentons today announced a multi-year pro bono commitment in support of the Westside neighborhoods revitalization project currently underway through a joint effort between the Westside Future Fund and the Westside Neighborhood Prosperity Fund of The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation. As part of the initiative, Dentons has pledged up to $375,000 in legal and public policy counsel over the span of three years in conjunction with the project.” “As part of the relationship, Dentons will provide ongoing legal counsel on matters pertaining to real estate preservation, zoning, land use, economic development, contracts, policy compliance, litigation and other aspects of the project. Lawyers and public policy professionals across the Firm will be engaged to create a multi-faceted team to address the many legal and governmental issues that can arise in a project of this magnitude.” (Dentons News)

November 26, 2015 –  “Law students will be able to do more legal work for poor Mississippi residents under a rule recently approved by the state Supreme Court. ‘Students attending law schools in other states and those who are not getting course credit for the work can now help attorneys representing people who cannot pay,’ said Tiffany Graves, executive director of the state’s Access to Justice Commission. ‘The new rule will provide immediate and long-term benefits,’ said Professor Meta Copeland, director of experiential learning at Mississippi College School of Law. ‘More law students can now assist low-income clients with legal issues,’ she said in a news release from the state court system. ‘More lawyers will accept pro bono cases with the assistance of a limited practice student at no cost.’ The new rule supplants a state law which also allowed only state or legal services employees to supervise the student workers. Now such services can be provided as part of a clinical legal education course, law school legal internship program, or through a volunteer legal services program under the supervision of licensed attorneys, Graves said. Graves said the students cannot represent clients directly, but may only help a supervising attorney or teacher. The rule was approved Nov. 19 and took effect immediately.” (SFGate)

November 30, 2015 – “Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman was in Crown Heights on Monday to announce the creation of a new program called Legal Hand that will provide free legal advice and referrals to low-income residents.” “‘The key feature of Legal Hand is that the help it provides does not come from lawyers, it comes from community volunteers who are specially trained to provide information and guidance to low-income individuals on how to navigate the court and social services systems and how to protect and represent themselves in a legal manner,’ Lippman said. ‘This program is the newest foray in the campaign to close the justice gap in New York and the first of its kind in the country.'” “The Legal Hand center will work in conjunction with three other legal service providers — the Legal Aid Society, Legal Services NYC and the New York Legal Assistance Group.” (Brooklyn Daily Eagle)

December 1, 2015 – In what might be the latest trend in legal aid, “Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and The Cumberlands has hired Paul Swiney as its first director of technology. ‘The legal industry is increasingly reliant on technology to connect lawyers with clients and collect essential case information,’ Gary Housepian, Legal Aid Society executive director, said in the release. ‘Paul brings an extraordinary technical background and skill set, and his experience in the non-profit sector will serve us well. We feel fortunate to have found such a great fit.’ Swiney will be based out of Legal Aid Society’s Nashville office and service all eight of the entity’s offices across the region. LAS bills itself as Tennessee’s largest nonprofit law firm.”(Nashville Post)

December 1, 2015 – “Lawmakers in the House have created a caucus to make it easier for low-income families to get legal representation. Reps. Joe Kennedy III (D-Mass.) and Susan Brooks (R-Ind.) launched the Access to Civil Legal Services Caucus on Tuesday to advocate for civil legal aid programs and ensure access to representation is never limited by income. ‘Our legal system is where our nation makes good on the sacred promise of equal justice under the law,’ Kennedy said in a news release. ‘But too often that promise is far from guaranteed for low-income families, veterans, victims of domestic violence and thousands of other Americans forced to stand in our courtrooms alone each year with their homes, savings and futures at risk.’ In urging other lawmakers to join the caucus, the lawmakers cited a Boston Bar Association report that found 64 percent of cases in Massachusetts in 2013 that were eligible for legal aid programs were turned away due to lack of funding. The majority of cases covered by civil legal aid organizations in Massachusetts and Indiana involved family and housing. ‘This caucus will seek to change that, making sure that when civil disputes are brought to our judicial system, those involved, regardless of financial means, have access to appropriate legal resources and representation,’ Brooks said.” (The Hill)

December 2, 2015 – “The Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services (RAICES), received a $20,000 grant from the Texas Bar Foundation so that the group can continue to ‘provide children and mothers who were released from the Karnes and Dilley Family Detention Centers with legal services.’ Since the summer of 2014, RAICES has provided free legal counsel to thousands of families held in South Texas. Many of them reside in the state after their release.” (San Antonio Current)

December 2, 2015 – “The Association of Pro Bono Counsel, a membership organization for lawyers who hold full-time positions managing pro bono practices at large law firms, is seeking to promote its message and work. Nearly 10 years after its formation, the New York-based nonprofit recently published its first-ever annual report, which became available online Wednesday. The report celebrates APBCo’s growth from a 60-member association in 2006 to more than 155 members today.” (American Lawyer)

Spotlight on Outstanding Public Servants:

Immigrant Women Services Ottawa (IWSO) is recognizing Legal Aid Ontario’s Integrated Legal Service Office (ILSO) with a community leader award. ILSO and its predecessor, the Family Law Office, have worked with IWSO since 1999 to assist vulnerable immigrant women and their children. “Legal Aid has an understanding of violence against women and children and has made an extraordinary effort to help,” says IWSO Manager, Crisis & Counseling services Vivian Chan-Brouillette. “As a result, their work has had significant impact on this problem in the Ottawa community. For example, an abuser can lie to the victim about their rights or threaten to send them back home without the children. If these women don’t see a lawyer and learn about their rights, they may not even have the courage to think about leaving their abuser.” Congratulations! (Legal Aid Ontario Newsroom)

Super Music Bonus!  Music pick from the PSJD Fellow Eulen Jang.