LSC Updates

LSC's Board of Directors has approved creation of an independent task force (PDF icon 27k) to review and make recommendations to the Board regarding LSC's fiscal oversight responsibilities and how LSC conducts fiscal oversight of its grantees.

The Senate Appropriations Committee on July 22 approved $430 million in Fiscal Year 2011 funding for LSC. Of that amount, $401.7 million would provide grants for the delivery of civil legal assistance to low-income Americans.

Congress has authorized $35 million in funds for a grant program aimed at providing legal help to low- and moderate-income Americans facing the loss of their home due to foreclosure.

LSC will implement recommendations of the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to improve internal controls over grant awards, LSC President Victor M. Fortuno said on July 13.

LSC's Board of Directors has announced the selection of search consultants Ellen Brown and Dale Jones of Heidrick & Struggles to handle the Corporation's recruitment of a President.

LSC Board Chairman John G. Levi gave brief remarks on July 23 during the National Legal Aid and Defender Association's Substantive Law and Litigation and Advocacy Directors Conferences in Chicago.

LSC Board Member Laurie Mikva and LSC President Victor M. Fortuno attended the Southeast Project Director and Administrator's (SEPDA's) Annual Meeting in St. Pete Beach, Fla., held July 18-21.

Karen J. Sarjeant, LSC Vice President for Programs and Compliance, is profiled in the latest issue of All Rise, a quarterly publication of the Ohio State University's Moritz College of Law.

In a survey released [on July 12] by the American Bar Association, judges indicated that a lack of representation in civil matters is hurting those individuals' cases, and is negatively impacting courtrooms.

Apply now to participate in the Department of Education's new Civil Legal Assistance Attorney Student Loan Repayment Program. Applications are due no later than August 16, 2010, but funding will be distributed on a first-come-first-served basis so all interested parties are urged to apply as soon as possible.

The Georgia Legal Services Program, which provides free civil legal aid to low-income Georgians in all but five of the state's 159 counties, has been forced to cut staff positions due to the faltering economy, according to a July 7 article in the Fulton County Daily Report.

Amid an uncertain economy, the agency that offers free legal help with civil cases to low-income people in central Pennsylvania is seeing demand climb even as its funding shrinks.

One of Alaska's top legal advocates for the poor has accepted a state job in the consumer affairs section of the Attorney General's Office.

The Microsoft Corporation has donated $600,000 in software programs to Puerto Rico Legal Services (PRLS), providing its attorneys and support staff with a revamped computer system that will greatly benefit the program's clients.

The Legal Services Corporation, the Legal Services National Technology Assistance Project (NTAP) and the Ohio Legal Assistance Foundation have announced that Sprint is now offering broadband services to all legal services programs at reduced, General Services Administration-level pricing.

Florida Legal Services and other groups are hosting a training session for public interest lawyers and other advocates regarding the BP oil spill in the Gulf Coast. The event will feature sessions on the claims process and public benefits issues and is scheduled to include presentations from Alaska advocates who worked on the Exxon-Valdez disaster. The event is scheduled to take place in Pensacola, Fla., on September 20-21. The State Bar of Georgia Pro Bono Project is hosting a training session for new HotDocs developers in the LawHelp Interactive community. The event may also include a track of sessions for intermediate developers, if sufficient interest is expressed. Registration is free for participating legal aid and pro bono program staff, as well as selected court system staff. The event will be held in Atlanta on September 16-17.

Ben Carter of the Legal Aid Society of Louisville, Ky., has received the Kentucky Bar Association's Outstanding Young Lawyer Award for his outstanding accomplishments and community service as a young lawyer, which include his development and implementation of mediation process to help prevent home foreclosures in Louisville. David G. Hall, executive director of Texas RioGrande Legal Aid, has been named one of the 25 greatest Texas lawyers in the last 25 years by Texas Lawyer magazine. Hall, who has led TRLA for more than 25 years, "has had an important impact on the law in Texas-and on the lives of many low-income Texans who cannot afford lawyers-by devoting his career to legal aid," says the magazine. Ernesto Sanchez, executive director of Idaho Legal Aid, has been named the first recipient of the Justice for All Award given by the Diversity Section of the Idaho State Bar. The award was established to recognize an individual who has made a singularly important and meaningful contribution to the promotion of diversity in the legal profession and in the law, as well as championing access to justice for the disenfranchised in Idaho.

The client success story in the July 1 issue of LSC Updates incorrectly identified Chet Randall of Pine Tree Legal Assistance as the lawyer who represented the client in the case described. Jill Hunter, a staff attorney with the legal aid program, represented the client.

Home Saved, Bank Fined