Managing in Hard Times: Lessons from Legal Aid & the Public Sector

1. Managing in Hard Times: Lessons from Legal Aid & the Public Sector Law Librarians of Puget Sound: 29 April 2009 Michele Storms, Executive Director Gates Public Service Law Program University of Washington School of Law, Seattle, WA

2. 3 out of 4low income people face at least one critical civil legal problem each year. 2003 Civil Legal Needs Study in Washington State

3. The Alliance for Equal Justice The Alliance for Equal Justice of Washington state is a network of organizations providing civil legal aid to those with nowhere else to turn. Formed to coordinate and foster collaboration, the Alliance provides critically needed services-information, advice and representation-to those in need.

4. The Alliance for Equal Justice More than 30 legal aid providers make up the Alliance: • Statewide and Specialty Programs provide civil legal aid services from staffed offices throughout the state, to specific low-income populations or for specific legal problems • Volunteer attorney programs coordinate and leverage free legal aid services provided by pro-bono attorneys

5. 2009 US Federal Poverty Guidelines

6. LESSONS LEARNED • CHANGE IS A CONSTANT • OUR SYSTEM MUST BE DRIVEN BY OUR SHARED VALUES

7. The Hallmarks of an Effective State-wide Civil Legal Services Delivery System Poverty should not be an impediment to Justice. Those in poverty have an equal right to justice regardless of who they are, where they live, or the language they speak. The right to justice must remain constant regardless of changing social, political, economic or other conditions in the country, state and communities where low income people live.

8. The Coordination Challenge:The State Plan A Blueprint for Delivery of Civil Legal Aid to Low-Income People in Washington Goals: • Ensure availability of equal services for all low income people in need. • Invest scarce resources equitably & effectively. • Coordinate activities toward common goals. • Support the needs of programs serving clients.

9. The Funding Challenge:Public-Private Support • IOLTA(InterestonLawyersTrustAccounts) • Private Support(Campaign for Equal Justice) • Federal(Legal Services Corporation) • State(OfficeofCivilLegalAid)

10. LESSONS LEARNED CONT. • TRANSPARENCY/COMMUNICATION • WE NEED ALLIES & A NONPARTISAN EFFORT; NEVER WRITE ANYONE OFF • EVALUATE, QUANTIFY, EVOLVE

11. LESSONS LEARNED CONT. • NO TURF • NEVER LET A SERIOUS CRISIS GO TO WASTE • IT’S THE CLIENTS, STUPID

12. “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere” Martin Luther King, Jr., 1963 from Birmingham jail, Alabama

13. Some National (US) Resources Alliance for Justice http://www.afj.org/about-afj/ American Bar Association: Center for Pro Bono & Standing Committee on Legal Aid and Indigent Defendants http://www.abanet.org/legalservices/probono/ http://www.abanet.org/legalservices/sclaid/ Equal Justice Works http://www.equaljusticeworks.org/ Legal Services Corporation www.lsc.org Management Information Exchange www.m-i-e.org National Legal Aid & Defender Organization www.nlada.org Pro Bono Net http://www.probono.net/ The Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law http://www.povertylaw.org/

14. Some WA State Resources Advocate Resource Center www.advocateresourcecenter.org Alliance for Equal Justice http://allianceforequaljustice.org/ Equal Justice Coalition http://www.ejc.org/ Washington LawHelp www.washingtonlawhelp.org (for clients) Washington State Bar Association, Access to Justice www.wsba.org/atj