2007 Equal Justice Conference - Workshop Preview 2008

Workshop Preview 2008

50 (NEW!) Tech Tips

David Bonebrake, Legal Services National Technology Assistance Program, Santa Monica, CA
Kathleen Brockel, Legal Services National Technology Assistance Program, Santa Monica, CA
Molly French, Colorado Legal Services, Denver, CO

Glenn Rawdon, Legal Services Corporation, Washington, DC

Back again by popular demand! Usually with standing room only, this session features quick tips that can change how you work. Never a repeat, this year's session features new presenters with helpful tips spanning Microsoft, Web 2.0 tools, and other cool applications and tools.

A Civil Right to Counsel Journey Continues: A Dialogue between States on Efforts to Expand Access to Justice

Cathy Haukedahl, Legal Aid Society of Minneapolis, Minneapolis, MN
Paul Marvy, Northwest Justice Project, Seattle, WA
Mary Schneider, Legal Services of Northwest Minnesota, Moorhead, MN
Gerry Singsen, Consultant, Watertown, MA

David Udell, Brennan Center for Justice, New York, NY

What is the current status of a civil right to counsel in America? Following a brief introduction to the civil right to counsel a panelists will discuss efforts in their states, including task forces, bar association activities, litigation and targeted projects to examine or enlarge a right to civil counsel. The audience will have the opportunity to ask questions and share their experiences and ideas.

A Winning Combination: Corporate Law Departments, Law Firms, and Legal Service Providers

Gail Chang Bohr, Children's Law Center of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN
Lisa Payne Fulton, 3M Innovative Properties Company, St. Paul, MN
Esther F. Lardent, Pro Bono Institute, Washington, DC
Alysia Zens, Dorsey & Whitney, Minneapolis, MN

In-house counsel face numerous challenges that can limit their ability to do pro bono work: lack of malpractice insurance, limited resources, minimal training opportunities. By establishing effective partnerships with law firms and/or legal service providers, in-house counsel can create pro bono programs that allow them maximize their ability to provide services to those in need. This session will focus on the practical elements of these pro bono partnerships including what contributes to an effective partnership among in-house counsel, law firms and public service organizations, and how to best to sustain these relationships.

Advocating Across Systems to Shut Down the Schoolhouse to Jailhouse Pipeline

Tonya Long, Legal Aid Society of Minneapolis, Minneapolis, MN
Irene Opsahl, Legal Aid Society of Minneapolis, Minneapolis, MN
Dan Stewart, Minnesota Disability Law Center, Minneapolis, MN

People from several cumbersome bureaucracies make decisions that move children from classroom to police department to juvenile court. How can these systems engage with one another to ensure that children receive necessary support and services? This workshop will present multi-agency and multi-forum approaches used to slow down the movement of children through the pipeline and divert them to appropriate services. These models range from special focus projects and joint training to rulemaking/legislative efforts, and involve public defenders, prosecutors, school districts and legal aid agencies.

Best Practices in Law Student Recruitment, Supervision, and Long-term Relationship Development

Steve Grumm, NALP, Washington, DC
Ann Juergens, William Mitchell College of Law, St. Paul, MN
Janine Laird, Minnesota Justice Foundation, Minneapolis, MN
Sue Schecter, University of California, Berkeley School of Law, Berkeley, CA
Jennifer Thomas, Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia, Washington, DC

Back by popular demand! This program delivers concrete solutions for recruiting and managing law students. Well-trained, committed students are key assets for programs facing resource challenges and for those who wish to cultivate the next generation of staff attorneys and leaders. Join a panel of successful student supervisors, who work in both law school and employment settings, for a discussion of recruitment best practices, supervision models, and ways to ensure that today’s students become tomorrow’s staff attorneys, volunteers, and financial contributors. We encourage you to bring your best ideas with you to share during this interactive program.

Bridging the Gap: Creating Zones of Comfort and Experience for Volunteers

Jill Barnett, Best Buy, Minneapolis, MN
Michael G. Bergmann, Public Interest Law Initiative, Chicago, IL
Val Carlson, Community Legal Services Programs at King County Bar Association, Seattle, WA
Heidi Nassko, Dykema, Ann Arbor, MI

This program will include a dialogue on the needs and challenges in effectively engaging volunteers who may feel limited in what pro bono legal assistance they can provide. Panelists will share their experiences and discuss best practices in successfully moving volunteers beyond their zones of comfort and experience. Learn how to develop a range of pro bono opportunities, including unique transactional experiences. Explore how agencies and community groups can increase involvement through identifying sources of repeat work.

Bringing it All Together: Integrating Local and State Technology Initiatives with Service Delivery

Emily Cooper, Minnesota Volunteer Attorney Program, Minnesota State Bar Association, Minneapolis, MN
John Freeman, Minnesota Legal Services Coalition, St. Paul, MN
Liz Keith, Pro Bono Net, San Francisco, CA

This session will explore how technologies such as statewide websites, document assembly, LiveHelp, program websites and case management can be integrated with service delivery to serve clients, advocates and pro bono audiences. Presenters will also discuss models for planning and collaboration around state and local technology projects.

Broad-Based Delivery System Planning: Benefits and Challenges

Jonathan Asher, Colorado Legal Services, Denver, CO
Sam Buchanan, Jr., Mississippi Center for Legal Services, Hattiesburg, MS
Randall Chapman, Texas Legal Services Center, Austin, TX
Don Saunders, Moderator, NLADA, Washington, DC, Washington, DC
Sarah Singleton, New Mexico Access to Justice Commission, Santa Fe, NM

Access to Justice Commissions and similar structures in which the courts, bar, and other partners share leadership with legal services programs have had numerous successes in increasing state funding and improving delivery systems. However, advocates in other states remain concerned that expanded support from the organized bar and the courts may come at a cost. Leaders from four states where Access to Justice Commissions have played an active role in delivery system planning will share their experiences and answer questions in this interactive session. Topics will include the impact on aggressive advocacy and unpopular clients, potential conflicts, and funding allocation.

Celebrating Pro Bono: A Report on ABA and LSC Initiatives

Stephanie Edelstein, Legal Services Corporation, Washington, DC
Guy Lescault, Legal Services Corporation, Washington, DC
Mark Schickman, ABA Standing Committee on Pro Bono and Public Service, San Francisco, CA
Steven Scudder, ABA Standing Committee on Pro Bono and Public Service, Chicago, IL

Join representatives of the ABA's Pro Bono Committee and the Legal Services Corporation for an update on each organization's various pro bono initiatives including their efforts to plan a national pro bono celebration. Hear about the Pro Bono Committee's data collection project and work with the judiciary, government attorneys and solo/small firm practitioners. Learn more about LSC's PAI activities including what's happening in the field as a result of the recent PAI letter. Significant program time will be set aside to discuss your ideas for celebrating pro bono in your communities.

Challenged and Eroded Rights: Keeping Justice Accessible through Litigation and Pro Bono Assistance

Colleen Beebe, Minnesota Advocates for Human Rights, Minneapolis, MN
Michele Garnett McKenzie, Minnesota Advocates for Human Rights, Minneapolis, MN
Sarah Somers, National Health Law Program, Chapel Hill, NC

Each day, vulnerable populations see their rights compromised. This is true here in America, where legal theories and court decisions threaten the enforcement of federal health and civil rights, as well as abroad, where international human rights are challenged daily. This workshop will present pro bono models that address these access to justice issues. Panelists and attendees will consider programs and projects exist to improve advocacy in these areas, and consider ways of overcoming the existing challenges.

Civil Issues Facing Reentering Ex-offenders and Strategies to Assist Them

Janine Laird, Minnesota Justice Foundation, Minneapolis, MN
John Stuart, State of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN
Joanna Woolman, Anoka County, Minnesota, MN

The challenge of reentry by an ex-offender has legal as well as social aspects. Overworked public defenders, however, are not always able to help a current or former client with concomitant civil issues. Ex-offenders need assistance with a range of matters, from expungement to determining housing and employment rights. Learn about the ways in which private attorneys can work with public defenders to ease an ex-offender's reentry into society.

Congress Responds to the Student Debt Crisis: Public Service Loan Forgiveness and More

Kelly Carmody, Carmody and Associates, Phoenix, AZ
Heather Wells Jarvis, Equal Justice Works, Washington, DC
Don Saunders, National Legal Aid & Defender Association, Washington, DC

In September 2007, Congress passed a new federal student loan repayment law, the College Cost Reduction and Access Act (CCRAA). Learn how student loan payments will be affected by provisions of this law, what it takes to qualify for loan forgiveness, what public service workers need to do now to take advantage of the benefits of the CCRAA, and how it will affect current loan repayment assistance programs. The session will also provide updates on ongoing federal legislative initiatives aimed at debt relief for attorneys, including the Harkin and Durbin amendments to the Higher Education Act.

Court Services for Pro Se Litigants: Incubating and Sustaining Collaborative Delivery Methods

Marcelle Brandes, Civil Court of the City of New York, New York, NY
Denise Colon-Greenaway, Civil Court of the City of New York, New York, NY
Lisa Colpoys, Illinois Legal Aid Online, Chicago, IL
Joseph A. Dailing, Illinois Coalition for Equal Justice, Rockford, IL
Hon. Fern Fisher, Civil Court of the City of New York, New York, NY
Rochelle Klempner, Civil Court of the City of New York, New York, NY
Daniel J. Rieken, Illinois Legal Aid Online, Chicago, IL

The increase in pro se litigation has triggered the need for change by all stakeholders. This workshop examines the Illinois experience to develop and maintain an Internet-based system of legal self-help centers around the state and the work done in New York to create a menu of hands-on and technology-based programs. The workshop stresses the need for collaboration and includes discussions of volunteer, unbundled, technology-based self-help centers and court-sponsored direct legal services programs.

Cultivating a Comprehensive Approach to Pro Bono Partnerships

Jill E. Barnett, Best Buy, Inc., Richfield, MN
Patricia Gerrich, Volunteer Lawyers Program, Phoenix, AZ
Helenka Marculewicz, Greater Dayton Volunteer Lawyers Project, Dayton, OH

Partnerships are critical to increasing the availability of pro bono services to clients, but allocating staff and organizational resources to develop them can be difficult. This workshop will discuss how devoting resources to developing partnerships can reap a multitude of benefits, including expanded recruitment, improved public awareness of the needs of people with low incomes, public policy, and support for programs' resource development activities. Panelists will examine the barriers and challenges to developing partnerships as well as strategies to overcome them.

Current Issues in Urban Pro Bono: How Large Providers Work with Large Law Firms

Marnie Berk, New York Lawyers for the Public Interest, New York, NY
Saralyn Cohen, Shearman & Sterling, New York, NY
Megan Low, Volunteer Legal Services Program of the San Francisco Bar Association, San Francisco, CA
Amanda Smith, Morgan Lewis & Bockius, New York, NY

Participate in a candid dialogue about important issues facing large law firms and large providers working together in urban areas. How can firms and providers form valuable partnerships to effectively combine resources and provide services to more clients? Should providers push firms into serving specific substantive areas of client need? Come prepared to examine these and other questions at this lively session.

Debtor Assistance and Bankruptcy Pro Bono: Models and Solutions

Clinton E. Cutler, Fredrikson & Byron, P.A., Minneapolis, MN
Heidi Huber, Hennepin County Bar Association Volunteer Lawyers Network, Minneapolis, MN
Eve Klothen, Rutgers School of Law Camden, Rutgers, NJ
William Z. Kransdorf, Legal Services of New York Bankruptcy Assistance Project / Legal Services for New York City, New York, NY
Dorraine Larison, Gray, Plant, Mooty, Mooty & Bennett, P.A., St. Cloud, MN
Suzanne Pontinen, Hennepin County Bar Association Volunteer Lawyers Network, Minneapolis, MN

An overwhelming number of low-income individuals need debtor assistance of some kind. This workshop presents two programs that works with debtors through screening, determining whether they may be judgment proof, and utilizing volunteer lawyers to communicate with creditors. Where clients must proceed to bankruptcy, the workshop will present two bankruptcy pro bono programs models, both of which work well.

Developing and Sustaining Pro Bono Programs for Small and Mid-Size Law Firms

Jeff Brown, State Bar of Wisconsin, Madison, WI
Jennifer Dickinson, Hunter Maclean, Savannah, GA
Melinda M. Sanders, Quinlivan & Hughes, P.A., St. Cloud, MN
Stephen K. Warch, Halleland Lewis Nilan & Johnson, Minneapolis, MN

Do you think your firm is too small to have a pro bono program? Do the firms in your program’s service area have too few attorneys to make a meaningful pro bono commitment? Think again! Join in an interactive discussion about creating and sustaining pro bono initiatives within smaller firms. Discuss ways to: define the parameters of a firm’s program; find pro bono opportunities and projects that fit each firm and practice; identify creative ways to associate with other firms or organizations; develop realistic and efficient program administration; and apply long-range planning techniques for a successful pro bono program.

Difficult Conversations: Tools for Talking About What Matters Most

Hannah Lieberman, Lieberman Consulting, Bethesda, MD
Eric Mittelstadt, Utah Legal Services, Salt Lake, UT

Inspired by the book Difficult Conversations: How to Discuss What Matters Most, this workshop will help participants enhance their communication skills. Good communication is essential to everything we do. You will learn skills you can develop and tools you can use to handle the most difficult and crucial conversations effectively with your staff, volunteers, supervisors or board of directors. You will have an opportunity to practice and role play during the session. Come learn more about this critical skill and return home ready to deal with any situation.

Emerging Issues in the Ethics of Hotlines

Julie E. Bennet, Minnesota Office of Lawyer's Professional Responsibility, St. Paul, MN
Will Hornsby, ABA Standing Committee on the Delivery of Legal Services, Chicago, IL

Since hotlines are a unique form of legal services, those who provide telephone advice confront a variety of ethics issues that are uncommon in a more traditional setting. This workshop explores the ways that those taking hotline calls handle, or should handle, ethics issues, including anonymous calls, brief advice and limited scope of representation, duties to perspective clients, and conflicts check obligations. This interactive session will examine the application of the rules to hypothetical situations and share perspectives on emerging issues.

Engaging Board Members and Other Volunteers in Fundraising

Jonathan Asher, Colorado Legal Services, Denver, CO
Fred Baumann, Rothgerber Johnson & Lyons, Denver, CO
Meredith McBurney, ABA Resource Center for ATJ Initiatives, Denver, CO

Are you struggling with how to effectively engage board members and other volunteers in increasing private resources to improve and expand your services? This session, led by staff and volunteers who are successful fundraising leaders, will provide you with proven strategies for developing and expanding your team of fundraising volunteers.

Enhancing the Relationship Between Clients & Attorneys: Co-Producing Justice

Victoria Amaris, Greater Twin Cities United Way, Minneapolis, MN
Victoria Amaris, Cultural Dynamics, Minneapolis, MN
Suzanne Gautsch Pontinen, Volunteer Lawyers Network, Minneapolis, MN

This unique session offers an overview of the culture of generational poverty, followed by pro bono clients perspectives on poverty and how it influenced seeking legal counsel. A panel of pro bono attorneys will tell their stories of working with pro bono clients. A cross-cultural dialogue follows, to identify best practices when working across cultures.

Equal Justice for Older Adults: Outreach and Community Education Programs Conducted by Innovative Community Partnerships

Vincent Brocki, Northwestern Legal Services, Erie, PA
Kelli Howard, Texas Rio Grande Legal Services, Austin, TX
Holly Robinson, ABA Commission on Law and Aging, Washington, DC
Barry Taylor, Equip for Equality, Chicago, IL

Outreach and community education programs designed specifically for older adults are very important to ensure access to critical legal services. Recent recipients of Partnerships in Law and Aging Program grants will describe their collaborations addressing the unique legal problems of older adults through outreach and community education programs in a variety of settings and activities. The programs highlighted in this workshop address the access needs of low-income older adults and older adults with disabilities. Materials developed with assistance from the Program will be shared.

Evolving Intake Systems and Models

Debra M. Jennings, Advocates for Basic Equality, Inc., Toledo, OH
Liz Keith, Pro Bono Net, San Francisco, CA
Judy Meadows, Montana State Courts, Helena, MT
Rachel Medina, Chicago-Kent Colege of Law, Center for Access to Justice and Technology, Chicago, IL
Eve Ricaurte, Iowa Legal Aid, Bettendorf, IA
Ronald W. Staudt, Chicago-Kent College of Law, Chicago, IL

The workshop will focus on the changing face of intake and service delivery through the use of web based technologies and online applications. The presentation will explore online intake system models, offering equal access to justice for diverse urban and rural client communities, by overcoming geographic, language, cultural and literacy barriers.

Experiential Learning As the Gateway to Pro Bono

Anne Goldstein, University of Connecticut School of Law, Hartford, CT
Eric Janus, William Mitchell College of Law, St. Paul, MN
Bonnie Roswig, University of Connecticut School of Law, Hartford, CT
Sue Schechter, University of California, Berkeley School of Law, Berkeley, CA

The Carnegie and "Best Practices" reports have raised awareness about the value of experiential learning in law school particularly in relationship to pro bono service. This session will 1) elaborate on concepts addressed in the Carnegie Report 2) explore a successful collaborative program in which law students participate in pro bono programming as a part of the first year curriculum and 3) seek input from attendees on how to develop dialogue in law school and in the legal services community regarding the role of experiential learning and its benefits to all.

Finding the Greatest Number of the Right Clients

D'Ann Johnson, Texas RioGrande Legal Aid / Texas C-BAR, Austin , TX, Austin, TX
Peggy O. Montgomery, ExxonMobil Corporation, Houston, TX
Milan Pham, North Carolina Lawyers for Entrepreneurs Assistance Program (NC LEAP), Cary, NC
Sara Woods, Philadelphia Volunteers for Indigent Persons, Philadelphia, PA, Philadelphia, PA

Do you have more volunteer lawyers than cases and matters to assign them? This is a consistent problem for transactional pro bono programs and law firms engaging in this work. Workshop presenters discuss their own experiences conducting outreach, cultivating relationships, and cementing partnerships with organizations that lead to quality transactional pro bono case flow.

Forum on Family Law Pro Bono

Cheryl Zalenski, ABA Center for Pro Bono, Chicago, IL

Legal services and pro bono providers face the constant challenge of more clients seeking family law assistance than there are attorneys to assist. Come to this moderated forum where YOU are the panelists. Bring your questions, success stories, disappointments, and ideas to share. Whether you are program staff, a board member, the judiciary, or a potential volunteer attend this session and contribute to the conversation. Participate in this exceptional opportunity to share with colleagues from across the country and build on each others' experiences in developing family law volunteers.

Funding Diversity Initiatives

Anna Brown, Shearman & Sterling, LLP, New York, NY
Samuel Milkes, Pennsylvania Legal Aid Network, Harrisburg, PA
Lillian M. Moy, Legal Aid Society of Northeastern New York, Albany, NY
Cynthia Newcomer, Pennsylvania Legal Aid Network, Harrisburg, PA
Carl "Tobey" Oxholm, III, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA
A. Michael Pratt, Philadelphia Bar Association, Philadelphia, PA
Michael Rothenberg, New York Lawyers for the Public Interest, New York, NY
Sudha Shetty, International Fellowship Program at the Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN
Rhodia Thomas, MidPenn Legal Services, Harrisburg, PA

This workshop will demonstrate how legal aid and pro bono programs can successfully fund diversity initiatives to enhance services to diverse client communities and further diversify our staffs. Speakers will describe how they successfully raised money to support fellowships in legal aid programs for lawyers and law students of color, a leadership development project focusing on developing new diverse leaders and diversity initiatives within the legal community as a whole. Hear what makes a law firm or corporate counsel say yes to your requests.

Hot Topics in Legal Aid

Helaine Barnett, Legal Services Corporation, Washington, DC
Julie Clark, National Legal Aid and Defender Association, Washington, DC
Deborah Hankinson, Law Offices of Deborah Hankinson, Dallas, TX

This session will focus on developments at the Legal Services Corporation, the funding outlook for LSC for FY 2009 and related developments, private attorney involvement initiatives, the status of loan repayment assistance programs in Congress and other matters of interest to the civil legal aid community.

Housing and Care for the Legally Vulnerable: Background, Projects, Partnerships

Aisha Bierma, Legal Aid Society of Minneapolis, Minneapolis, MN
Eric Carlson, National Senior Citizens Law Center, Los Angeles, CA
Marjorie Murray, Center for California Homeowner Association Law, Oakland, CA
Tina Rasnow, Ventura Superior Court Self-Help Legal Access Center, Ventura, CA

The long-term dream of most Americans is to be secure in their own home and to plan for their final years. Unfortunately, these dreams are often derailed for legally vulnerable populations such as the disabled, seniors, LEP groups and others. This workshop will present strategies and models for assisting vulnerable populations living in common interest developments and subject to homeowners associations. In addition, the workshop will present common problems in senior housing, long-term care situations and explain strategies (litigation and non-litigation) for resolving these problems.

How To Encourage Law Firms To Address The Most Pressing Legal Needs Of Their Communities

David Lash, O'Melveny & Myers, Los Angeles, CA
Heidi Nassko, Dykema, Ann Arbor, MI
Kathi Pugh, Morrison & Foerster LLP, San Francisco, CA
Julia Wilson, Public Interest Clearinghouse, San Francisco, CA

In many ways, firms seek and provide pro bono opportunities based on the interests of their attorneys. This panel will explore how firms and pro bono programs can shape the slate of opportunities to not only appeal to attorneys' interests but also to serve compelling community legal needs.

Identifying and Handling Transactional Pro Bono Conflicts

Patrick R. Burns, Minnesota Lawyers Professional Responsibility Board, St. Paul, MN
Stanley W. Levy, Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP, Los Angeles, CA
Richard W. Painter, University of Minnesota Law School, Minneapolis, MN
William J. Woodward, Jr., Temple University, Beasley School of Law, Philadelphia, PA

Transactional pro bono program managers and law firms engaged in transactional pro bono activities may be faced with many conflicts, including actual and issue, or positional, conflicts. Panelists experienced in the areas of legal ethics and professional responsibility will focus on identifying such conflicts, as well as presenting options for resolving conflicts.

If You Order It, They Will Come: Judicial Support for Private Bar Pro Bono

Hon. Cynthia A. Baldwin, Pennsylvania Supreme Court, White Oak, PA
Hon. Rufus G. King III, Superior Court of the District of Columbia, Washington, DC
Hon. Anne E. Lazarus, Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas, Philadelphia, PA
Cruz Reynoso, Unversity of Calfornia Davis School of Law, Davis, CA

The judiciary sees the unmet need for legal services every single day. Judges know that pro bono programs, even with law firm support, struggle to enlist and train attorneys in certain areas where the need is great. What can judges do to encourage private attorneys to take on pro bono representations? What limitations does the Code of Judicial Conduct impose on what judges properly can do? Can judges give recognition, distribute "best practices," use websites or take steps to encourage or facilitate pro bono? Hear from members of the judiciary who are at the cutting edge of these issues.

Incorporating the Judiciary and the Competitive Nature of Attorneys to Promote Pro Bono

Lewis G. Creekmore, Legal Services of the Hudson Valley, Newburgh, NY
Mary S. Hobson, Idaho Volunteer Lawyers Program, Boise, ID
Elwyn Hutter, Legal Services of the Hudson Valley, White Plains, NY

Recruitment of pro bono volunteers for legal services can daunting, no matter what the geopolitical or geographic nature of your program area. Attorneys are inclined to competitiveness, and this aspect of their nature can be used to the advantage of our programs. We will provide examples of two different approaches to the same goal, both of which rely on the judiciary and successfully incorporate competition to increase pro bono involvement: one to get firms and solos to compete for an award; the other to get firms to want to be included in a district-wide pro bono initiative.

International Perspectives on Developing Pro Bono

Lynn Burns, Pro Bono Law Ontario, Toronto, ON
John Corker, National Pro Bono Resource Centre, Sydney, Non-USA
Steven Scudder, ABA Standing Committee on Pro Bono and Public Service, Chicago, IL
Suzanne Turner, Dechert LLP, Washington, DC

The challenges pro bono programs in America face of recruiting and retaining lawyers, serving rural area, developing partnerships, changing the culture of pro bono in the legal profession, managing client needs and more are shared by our colleagues internationally. This workshop will foster an international dialogue and provide attendees with an opportunity to learn a different way of doing things.

International Pro Bono: Strategies and Opportunities for Law Firms and Pro Bono Programs

Hon. John R. Tunheim, US District Court of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN
Anthony H. Barash, ABA Center for Pro Bono, Chicago, IL
Jean C. Berman, International Senior Lawyers Project, New York, NY
Estelle H. Rogers, , Washington, DC

Panelists will discuss a variety of programs that use volunteer attorneys to advance democracy and the rule of law, protect human rights, promote equitable economic development worldwide and advance the social and economic well-being of people in developing countries.

Issues in Intake, Problem Assessment and Referral for Courts and Legal Aid

Wayne Moore, Self Help Law Center, Washington, DC
Richard Zorza, Self-Represented Litigation Network, Washington, DC

This session will discuss the benefits of coordinating intake. It will also cover new developments in triage by using protocols to diagnose and refer cases to insure that litigants receive the services they need.

Judges and Self-Represented Litigants: Implications for Access to Justice Planning

Susan Ledray, Self Help Centers, Minneapolis, MN
Richard Zorza, Self-Represented Litigation Network, Washington, DC

Is your organization providing assistance to self-represented parties? How well do you understand what the SRL faces when they get to court and have their hearing? Learn what perspectives and research were shared with the judiciary and how they respond to SRLs at a recent national judicial training. Use this information to strengthen your communications with the bench on access to justice issues, and to improve your ability to educate and prepare SRLs for court hearings.

Judges Roundtable: Judicial Leadership for Access to Justice

Hon. Richard Sankovitz, Milwaukee County Circuit Court, Milwaukee, WI

Other sessions have focused on specific ways judges can promote pro bono service and support self-represented litigants. This moderated roundtable discussion takes a broader look at the role of the judiciary as leaders in expanding access to civil justice in their states. In addition to pro bono and pro se, topics may include: what courts can do to support legal aid; how legal aid can assist the courts; questions concerning judicial ethics; and building relationships between legal aid and the courts. All judges attending the conference are invited to participate.

Law Schools Working Together to Increase Access to Justice

Catherine Greene Burnett, South Texas College of Law, Houston, TX
Eden Harrington, University of Texas at Austin School of Law, Austin, TX
Emily Jones, Texas Access to Justice Commission, Austin, TX
Sara Sommarstrom, Minnesota Justice Foundation, Minneapolis, MN, Minneapolis, MN

The workshop will discuss how law schools can collaborate with other organizations to direct school resources to diverse client communities state-wide. Panelists will discuss examples of two states in which law schools have joined together to develop innovative pro bono programs, academic internships, and joint courses that serve those in need of legal assistance.

Lawyering Outside the Box: Creating Real Change with Holistic and Community Lawyering

Ann Norton, Housing Preservation Project, St. Paul, MN
Julie Rosenthal, San Francisco Bar Association Volunteer Legal Services Program, San Francisco, CA
Artika Tyner, University of Saint Thomas School of Law, Minneapolis, MN

Learn two ways to deepen the impact of your legal work. Community lawyering offers the chance to do policy work on behalf of involves working with community groups to make systemic change through creative litigation, grassroots organizing, targeted public relations and alliance with funders and policy makers. Holistic Advocacy involved lawyers working side by side with social workers to address root causes of legal problems for individual clients. Learn about using staff social workers and working in partnership with social service agencies, ethical issues, and funding.

Leadership Development: The Alternative Path to Equal Justice

Raquiba LaBrie, Open Society Institute, New York, NY
Lillian Moy, Legal Aid Society of Northeastern New York, Albany, NY
Laren E. Spirer, Debevoise & Plimpton, New York, NY
Camille Holmes Wood, National Legal Aid & Defender Association, Washington, DC

Pro bono programs, law firms, corporations and foundations can provide dynamic and progressive pathways for service and leadership for diverse emerging and seasoned lawyers. These paths provide additional avenues for social justice advocates to facilitate credible and meaningful connections to diverse client communities from their law firm, pro bono program, corporate and foundation positions. Come and explore these career options with people who are walking these paths.

Leadership Mentoring for the 21st Century Legal Services Community

Monica Evans, Legal Services Corporation, Washington, DC
Guy Lescault, Legal Services Corporation, Washington, DC
Evora Thomas, Legal Services Corporation, Washington, DC

A well-trained corps of leaders is the most effective way of ensuring the continued strength, relevance and competence of legal services staff who are engaged with the challenges of providing access to justice for low-income clients. This workshop will address strategies to promote the development of new leaders through mentoring activities.

Lest We Forget: The Ongoing Pursuit of Justice on the Gulf Coast

Kathleen McNelis, Louisiana Bar Foundation, Baton Rouge, LA
Reilly Morse, Mississippi Center for Justice, Biloxi, MS
Madison Sloan, Texas Appleseed, Austin, TX
Ranie Thompson, Southeast Louisiana Legal Services, New Orleans, LA

Almost three years after hurricanes ravaged the Gulf Coast, many survivors, particularly those in low-income and minority communities, are still in crisis, disproportionately affected by both the disaster and the recovery process. Attempts to address these issues have resulted in innovative collaborations and the creation of new and effective ways to deliver pro bono legal services across state lines. This workshop will explore how the equal justice community has collaborated to deliver services and how that experience can be applied to ongoing needs on the post-hurricane Gulf Coast.

Limited Scope Representation: Helping More Clients, Attracting More Volunteers

Sharon Bashan, Pro Bono Project, San Jose, CA
Tiela Chalmers, Volunteer Legal Services Program of The Bar Association of San Francisco, San Francisco, CA
Martha Delaney, Volunteer Lawyers Network, Minneapolis, MN
M. Sue Talia, Law Offices of M. Sue Talia, San Ramon, CA

Limited scope (unbundled) representation allows representation for one hearing, service or issue. It permits a triage of clients and a continuum of service in which clients receive as much help as they need. This aids legal services providers by eliminating the need to provide each client her own attorney for an entire case. Additionally, volunteers are attracted by the opportunity to do something with less commitment. Come learn about the ethics questions, models currently working in several areas of law, and how to put this important service delivery model to work in your community.

Local Legislative Advocacy: Making an Impact in Increasing Resources for Legal Aid and Pro Bono Programs

Barbara Finkelstein, Legal Services of the Hudson Valley, White Plains, NY
Yvonne Mariajimenez, Neighborhood Legal Services of Los Angeles County, Los Angeles, CA
Edwina Martin, Legal Services for New York City, New York, NY
Lillian M. Moy, Legal Aid Society of Northeastern New YOrk, Albany, NY

What's the difference between legislative advocacy on the state level versus the local level? How do legal aid and pro bono programs raise money from their city and county governments? In this session you will learn how to advocate for local funding and successful communication strategies and projects serving diverse communities that have been launched through local advocacy. Programs that have been successful in raising such funds will share best practices for supporting legal services advocacy. This workshop is recommended for board members and major pro bono partners, as well as management of local programs.

Long Term Planning for Helpline System Success

Emily Chafa, Iowa Legal Aid, Des Moines, IA
Benjamin Garcia, Puerto Rico Legal Services, San Juan, PR
Debra M. Jennings, Advocates for Basic Legal Equality, Inc., Toledo, OH
Marilyn Billings McNamara, Legal Advice and Referral Center, Concord, NH
Cheryl Nolan, Legal Services Corporation, Washington, DC

Once a helpline or intake system is established, implemented and fully operational evaluation and planning activities are as important as when the helpline was first planned. This session explores how different programs evaluate the impact and needs of their helplines on access and what steps management teams take to ensure that helplines remain healthy, vibrant, and continue meeting the goals envisioned at inception.

Low Income Taxpayer Clinics and a Holistic Approach to Client Service

Christina Cook, Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid, Minneapolis, MN
Neil McBride, Legal Aid Society of the Cumberlands, Oakridge, TN
Eric Slack, Taxpayer Advocate Service, Washington, DC

The old adage that nothing is certain but death and taxes holds true even in cases involving legal service providers. Congress has established and funded the Low Income Taxpayer Clinic (LITC) program. Whether established within a larger umbrella legal services organization, within law or business schools, or as stand-alone organizations, LITCs serve as an invaluable resource for legal service providers and their clients. This presentation will discuss the benefits to addressing tax issues with clients and the practical challenges facing taxpayers and legal service organizations.

LSC Updates

Helaine Barnett, Legal Services Corporation, Washington, DE

Things are happening at LSC! This session will bring you up-to-date on the many recent activities of LSC including, LSC's activities in response to the GAO report on grants management and oversight and what these mean for your program. You will also hear about LSC quality agenda activities; the implementation of the 2008 CSR Handbook; the June 2008 executive directors conference; and several other updates. Don't miss this chance to hear directly from the LSC President about those issues that are important for your program!

Maximizing What You Have: Using Your Case Management System to Support Innovation and Planning

Claudia Colindres Johnson, , Westport, CT
Glenn Rawdon, Legal Services Corporation, Washington DC, DC
Kelly Shruptrine, Virginia Legal Aid Society, Lynchburg, VA
Cynthia A. Vaughn, Ohio Legal Assistance Foundation, Columbus, OH, Columbus, OH

This session will explore innovations in conducting intake; triaging legal problems; collecting information needed for case acceptance and referrals; and analyzing intake information to spot trends in client issues for impact litigation. Session presenters will concentrate on using online and case management systems.

MIE Roundtable for Legal Services Executive Directors and Managers

This forum provides legal services executive directors and managers with an opportunity to share management concerns and receive peer support and assistance in an informal and confidential setting. The roundtable will be facilitated by members of the Management Information Exchange Board of Directors.

Our Clients and Technology: Mobile Technology, Social Media, and Serving Low Income Communities

Liz Keith, Pro Bono Net, San Francisco, CA
Joyce Raby, Legal Services Corporation, Washington, DC

Recent Census Bureau Reports, GAO reports, and the work of the Pew Internet and American Life Project document the increasing penetration of technology into low income households and communities. Listen to the research and then hear client stories about using technology to obtain legal help.

Outcome-Focused Self Assessment for Pro Bono, Pro Se Assistance and Other Small Legal Assistance Programs

Susan Lucas, The Resource for Great Programs, Erie, PA
Ken Smith, The Resource for Great Programs, Traverse City, MI
Rhodia Thomas, MidPenn Legal Services, Harrisburg, PA
Matt Weber, The Resource for Great Programs, Traverse City, MI

This dynamic workshop will provide participants with a rigorous but simple, five-step process that will help small programs explore opportunities for continual improvement of services. You will learn how to identify the outcomes that really matter to clients and other important stakeholders, and how to apply simple tools to collect useful measures of how well the program is accomplishing those outcomes. Time will be allotted to explore the applications for the unique situations of participants.

Outside of Justice: Bridging the Cultural Gaps in Access to Justice Systems

Michelle Cofield, NC Bar Ass'n Foundation, Cary, NC
Madelynn Herman, National Center for State Courts, Williamsburg, VA
Milan Pham, North Carolina Lawyers for Entrepreneurs Assistance Program, Cary, NC, Cary, NC

This workshop explores the challenges of meeting the needs of multi-cultural customers and clients. Innovative programs and practices will be highlighted. Panelists will also explore how to use interactive popular education to demonstrate the ability of social justice advocates to serve immigrant populations. We will identify the danger and injustice of ignoring the needs of rapidly growing populations, and explore ways of developing community capacity to bridge the gap in access to systems of justice.

Policy Advocacy: Working with the Private Bar and Community Partners to Secure Equal Access to Justice through Legislative and Administrative Advocacy

Ron Elwood, Legal Services Advocacy Project, St. Paul, MN
Maureen O'Connell, Legal Services Advocacy Project, St. Paul, MN
Daniel R. Tyson, Best & Flanagan,, Minneapolis, MN

This workshop will describe and provide examples of how private attorneys providing pro bono services can assist advocates to develop and shape proposals and become active in legislative deliberations in service of policy advances for clients. We will focus on the importance of representing clients before legislative and administrative bodies, and the vital role the private bar and community organization partners play in securing justice through policy advocacy. Achieving legislative success is challenging, but the opportunity to improve life for significant numbers of clients is great.

Portals to Justice for New Immigrants and Human Trafficking Victims

Ilene Jacobs, California Rural Legal Assistance, Marysville, CA
Joanne Lee, Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA
Robin Runge, ABA Commission on Domestic Violence, Washington, DC
Charles Song, Howrey LLP, Los Angeles, CA
Tom Thornburg, Farmworker Legal Services of Michigan, Bangor, MI

There are gaps and challenges in providing civil legal assistance to new immigrants and human trafficking victims. Workshop panelists will survey "best practices" in meeting the cultural and language needs of emerging groups of new immigrant clients, review recent legislative changes that have created additional remedies for new immigrants who are victims of human trafficking, and describe examples of effective programs for integration of pro bono services into delivery of legal services to meet the unique legal issues raised when assisting these clients.

Pro Bono in Badgerland, or the Team Approach to Law Students and Pro Bono

Jeff Brown, State Bar of Wisconsin, Madison, WI
Dan Idzikowski, Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI
Marsha Mansfield, University of Wisconsin Law School, Madison, WI
Pat Risser, Legal Action of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI

This workshop will demonstrate the many opportunities law schools in Wisconsin have developed to partner with private practitioners to expand the services provided to pro se and underserved litigants. This includes a description of a restraining order clinic and a range of other pro bono partnerships between law schools, legal service agencies, and the private bar.

Pro Bono Makes Cents: Making the Business Case for Pro Bono

Roy Ginsburg, Roy Ginsburg, Minneapolis, MN

How many times have you heard that doing pro bono work is the right thing to do? Have you ever heard that doing pro bono work benefits your career and builds your practice? Discover the ways that pro bono work improves your lawyering skills. Learn that pro bono service and law firm profitability are not mutually exclusive. Find out how to use pro bono opportunities as a business development tool. Understand how a pro bono enhanced reputation benefits you, your firm, and the entire profession.

Pro Bono Opportunities for Representing Detained Immigrants

Kim Hunter, Kim Hunter & Associates, St. Paul, MN, St. Paul, MN
Malee M. Ketelsen, Ketelsen Law Office, Minnetonka, MN

Participants in this workshop will learn the basic forms of relief from removal (deportation) that are available to immigrants. The session will emphasize common issues facing detained immigrants, with a focus on asylum claims and the intersection between crimes and removal.

Pro Bono Publico or Pro Bono Consiglieri? Balancing the Needs of Clients with Volunteers

Winifred Borden, Maryland Volunteer Lawyers Service, Baltimore, MD
Jeanne Charn, Bellow-Sacks Access to Civil Legal Services Project, Cambridge, MA
William Kransdorf, NYC Bankruptcy Assistance Project, New York, NY
Phillip Mohr, , Chicago, IL

This workshop will address the ethical dilemmas faced by pro bono projects striving to attract funding and volunteers, while at the same time addressing the fundamental legal needs of the indigent clients. Are a pro bono programs clients the indigent people they serve, their volunteers, or possibly both?

Pro Bono Representation of Identity Theft and Fraud Victims

Betsy Broder, Federal Trade Commission s Division of Privacy and Identity Protection, Washington, DC
Russell Butler, Maryland Crime Victims Resource Center, Upper Marlboro, MD
Molly F. Dilbeck, Georgia Legal Services Program Elder Abuse Prevention/Intervention Program, Savannah, GA
Pauline Mandel, Maryland Crime Victims Resource Center, Upper Marlboro, MD
Jonathan J. Rusch, Fraud Section, Criminal Division at the U.S. Department of Justice, Washington, DC

This presentation will focus on models for involving and training pro bono attorneys in identity theft and fraud issues. Learn why and how victim service programs and pro bono programs should incorporate pro bono attorneys into serving victims of identity theft and fraud. Panelists will also discuss how to identify the need for such services.

Pro Bono: It's Not Just for Lawyers

Toby Brown, Fulbright & Jaworski LLP, Houston, TX
Elma E. Garcia, Texas Lawyers Care, Austin, TX
Robert Glaves, Chicago Bar Foundation, Chicago, IL
Clare Scott, Fredrikson & Byron, P.A., Minneapolis, MN
C. Kirk Scruggs, Bracewell & Giuliani LLP, Houston, TX

This presentation will highlight innovative ways to increase legal services delivery and pro bono efforts through the use of non-legal professionals. Participants will explore how and why partnerships should be formed with non-legal professionals such as media consultants or technology directors who will volunteer their expertise to assist with the provision of legal services to the poor. Participants will learn how accessing non-legal professionals can serve to increase the quality and quantity of legal services for the poor.

Providing Online Technical Legal Assistance to Advocates at the State and National Level

Matthew Burnett, Immigration Advocates Network at Pro Bono Net, Pro Bono Net, New York, NY
Michael Monahan, State Bar Of Georgia Legal Services Program, Atlanta, GA

This session will highlight new and emerging web-based technologies that are being used to provide technical legal assistance to public interest advocates and pro bono attorneys at the state and national level. In addition to an overview of tools and approaches, examples of successful, technology-driven state and national projects and collaborations will be showcased.

Providing Technical Assistance to the Masses: Developing Firm to Firm Mentoring

Nancy J. Anderson, Esq., Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, Washington, DC
Jennifer L. Colyer, Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP, New York, NY
Barbara Kagan, Steptoe & Johnson LLP, Washington, DC
Jonathan M. Smith, Legal Aid Society of the District of Columbia, Washington, DC

One of the challenges faced by pro bono agencies is ensuring quality control and substantive support of a large number of volunteers with a limited number of staff attorneys. This panel will discuss innovative methods by which programs have worked with law firms to develop technical assistance systems. Law firm representatives will also discuss systems they have developed to capture institutional knowledge and the value of community websites for sharing expertise.

Removing Barriers and Increasing Access to Justice for Older Persons and Persons with Disabilities

Krista Boston, Minnesota Board on Aging DHS, Minneapolis, MN
Deborah Perluss, Northwest Justice Project, Seattle, WA
Holly Robinson, ABA Commission on Law and Aging, Washington, DC
Carie Schenk, Indiana Legal Services Inc., South Bend, IN

This workshop addresses issues of access to justice for older persons and persons with disabilities. It provides an overview of aging and disability resource centers and demonstrates use of technology to facilitate access and how legal services offices partner with ADRCs to improve services to these populations. Participants will be encouraged to think about systemic solutions to overcoming barriers to both accessing the courts and the judicial process. Advocates will share their experience tackling barriers through collaborative efforts with the bar, courts and other stakeholders.

Representing Equity Stripping Clients

Bryan R. Battina, Bock & Battina, LLP, Minneapolis, MN
Jodie M. Boderman, Faegre & Benson LLP, Minneapolis, MN
David P. Graham, Oppenheimer Wolff & Donnelly LLP, Minneapolis, MN
Larry Moloney, Southern Minnesota Regional Legal Services, Minneapolis, MN
Daniel R. Tyson, Best & Flanagan LLP, Minneapolis, MN

An era of easy credit for real estate financing led to a great amount of fraud and financial abuse, including equity stripping. Many low-income homeowners have been victimized and find themselves without housing and economically dependent on others. The Minnesota legal community has responded by establishing a collaborative that supports and trains lawyers who represent victims of equity stripping. In addition, the collaborative has worked to help create new laws and modify existing laws in order to protect low-income homeowners from becoming victims in the future.

Roundtable on Transactional Pro Bono Program Administration / Operations

William J. Woodward, Jr., Temple University, Beasley School of Law, Philadelphia, PA

The key to keeping the quality of transactional pro bono legal services as high as possible it to regularly and critically review all aspects of your program and implement improvements whenever necessary. This workshop has been designed as a forum for transactional pro bono program managers and staff to come together and talk about their best practices; to share their best manuals, methods and forms; and to talk about their successes and challenges.

Serving the Un-Served: Your Law Library as Your Partner and Your Bridge

Charles R. Dyer, American Association of Law Librarians, Bellingham, WA
Sara Galligan, Dakota County Law Library, Hastings, MN
The Honorable John R. Rodenberg, Minnesota 5th Judicial District, New Ulm, MN
Lisa Rush, Travis County Law Library, Austin, TX

Where do Self Represented Litigants (SRLs) go when courts and traditional legal services providers can't help them? Many end up in public law libraries. This presentation will feature collaborative law library programs from across the country that use innovations in self-help, best practices, and law library enhanced pro bono partnerships to serve SRLs.

State Funding Roundtable

Meredith McBurney, ABA Resource Center for ATJ Initiatives, Denver, CO

This session is an excellent networking opportunity for legal services staff and volunteers who are involved in obtaining and increasing funding for civil legal services from the state legislature. We will talk about progress made and problems confronted in the 2008 legislative session, hear about innovative ideas, share materials and discuss strategies for the future.

Strengthening Medical-Legal Partnership Through Dynamic Pro Bono Involvement and Effective Program Evaluation

Julie Brandfield, LegalHealth, New York, NY
Sylvia Caley, Georgia State University s College of Law, Atlanta, GA
Dawn Jones, King & Spalding LLP, Atlanta, GA
Susan A. McLaren, Morgan Healthcare Consulting, LLC., Atlanta, GA
Samantha J. Morton, Medical-Legal Partnership for Children at Boston Medical Center, Boston, MA

Two fundamental components of Medical-Legal Partnerships are broad-spectrum pro bono services and effective program evaluation. Program evaluation motivates internal assessment, highlights unmet needs, and identifies opportunities for improvement and growth, while pro bono increases available services and programming. Learn how these program components complement holistic problem-solving and expanded access.

Stress, Mental Health and Unhealthy Behavior in a Legal Services Environment

Joan Bibelhausen, Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers, St. Paul, MN
David Kuduk, Legal Aid Services of NE MN, Grand Rapids, MN

The stress of helping people in crisis can fall harder on the isolated lawyer, staff, or volunteer. This presentation will include strategies for volunteers and for those who wish to recruit and work with volunteers to provide methods for managing stress and seeking balance. Learn how to incorporate these strategies in the management of your program and help your volunteers and staff balance caring for themselves and their clients.

Studies and Strategies for Recruitment and Retention of Quality Legal Aid Attorneys

Kelly Carmody, Carmody and Associates, Phoenix, AZ
Steve Grumm, National Association of Law Placement, Washington, DC
Bristow Hardin, Legal Services Corporation, Washington, DC
Alejandro T. Reyes, Florida Legal Services, Inc - Migrant Justice Project, Lake Worth, FL

Find out why and how to make changes in civil legal aid programs to ensure that quality attorneys apply and stay. Recent studies detail the need for improvements in salaries and the workplace in order to recruit and retain the best attorneys. This workshop will give you the facts you need to advocate for and implement salary increases, as well as present effective recruitment strategies. Significant time for discussion will be available.

Tech Systems for Clients and Legal Aid Programs: Online Project Management, Open Source Legal Opinions and Client Use of Mobile Devices

Kathleen Brockel, Legal Services National Technology Assistance Program, Albuquerque, NM
Kathleen Caldwell, Pinetree Legal Aid, Portland, ME
Susan Lucas, The Resource for Great Programs, Traverse City, MI
Alison Paul, Montana Legal Services Association, Helena, MT
Jason Vail, Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law, Chicago, IL

This session will review client use of mobile devices such as cell phones and Blackberries to communicate by phone, text message, access on-line web information, etc. Panelists will also review three project management programs: Basecamp, Sharepoint and Central Desk Top and will provide information on the advantages of adopting a project management system into legal aid programs. New open source legal opinions and legal documents that have recently become available through Creative Commons will also be discussed.

Telephone Intake Systems that Expand Access and Client Service

David de la Tour, Legal Services Corporation, Washington, DC
John Eidleman, Legal Services Corporation, Washington, DC
Cynthia Elliott, Appalachian Research and Defense Fund of Kentucky, Prestonsburg, KY
Benjamin Garcia, Puerto Rico Legal Services, San Juan, PR
Althea J. Hayward, Legal Services Corporation, Washington, DC
Janet LaBella, Legal Services Corporation, Washington, DC
Steven McGarrity, Community Legal Aid Services, Inc., Akron, OH
Cheryl Nolan, Legal Services Corporation, Washington, DC
Cathy Wallace, Legal Aid of West Virginia, Charleston, WV

In April 2002, the Legal Services Corporation (LSC) issued Program Letter 02-04 Characteristics of a Telephone Intake, Advice and Referral to provide guidance to grantees concerning what LSC believes is an excellent intake, advice and referral system. LSC plans to revise the Characteristics in 2008. At this session, LSC staff and field experts will review the Characteristics and engage the audience in a discussion on how the Characteristics can be improved or changed to address the current indicia of an excellent telephone intake system.

The Boomer Tsunami: Expanding the Scope of Legal Services to the Aging Population Through an Attorney Home Visit Program

Rawle Andrews, Jr., AARP Legal Counsel for the Elderly, Washington D.C., DC
Mary Ann Baker-Randall, New Mexico Bar Foundation, Albuquerque, NM
Jan May, AARP Legal Counsel for the Elderly, Washington, DC

The Baby Boomer generation and the increasing numbers of very aged seniors will dramatically impact legal services. This presentation will provide useful demographic information on the aging of the population and discuss some of the challenges and opportunities for effectively meeting their legal needs. In particular, this workshop will focus on the mechanics of creating holistic legal services delivery systems for low income clients who require home visits to address their legal needs.

The Challenges and Opportunities of Public Interest Impact Litigation and Pro Bono

Nancy J. Anderson, Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, Washington DC, Washington, DC
Marnie Berk, New York Lawyers for the Public Interest (NYLPI), New York, NY
Lisa Dewey, DLA Piper, Washington, DC
Marlene Halpern, The Legal Aid Society, New York, NY
Rene Kathawaler, Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP, New York, NY

Public interest impact litigation creates unique challenges for law firms: defining the law firm’s role; handling litigation costs; and addressing law firm expectations. Affirmative/impact cases are attractive to law firms, but the details of the co-counseling relationship can deter referral of cases and negatively affect partnerships. Addressing these issues early will enhance the number of matters referred to, and accepted by, pro bono counsel. This session will cover drafting co-counsel and client retainer agreements; staffing the legal team; articulating a clear decision making process; and addressing distribution of attorneys’ fees.

The Challenges of Children: Clients, Witnesses and Interviewees

Gail Chang Bohr, Children's Law Center of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN
Monica Mahan, Bluhm Legal Clinic at Northwestern University School of Law, Chicago, IL
Jenny Schulz, Kids First Law Center, Cedar Rapids, IA
Angela Vigil, Baker & McKenzie, Miami, FL

This workshop will focus on the difficult skill of interviewing children. The interactive presentation will include presentations by experts, clips from a video on interviewing children, audience discussions of how to effectively train pro bono attorneys to interview children, role playing, and ethical considerations in representing children. The panel will include attorneys who represent children as well as a child development expert.

The Role of Pro Bono in Corporate Responsibility

Colin Pearson, Allen & Overy LLP, London, Non-USA
Suzanne Turner, Dechert LLP, Washington, DC

Corporate social responsibility has been a hot topic in the corporate community for quite a while. The law firm community, however, is increasingly focused on this issue. This session will explore the intersection between corporate social responsibility and pro bono work. We will look at the definitions and components of corporate social responsibility, examples of comprehensive programs in law firms and corporations and strategy and measurement within programs.

The Subprime Crisis: Background, Advice and Solutions

Mark Ireland, The Housing Preservation Project, St. Paul, MN
Robert J. Pratte, DLP Piper, Minneapolis, MN
Mary Santandrea, Office of Thrift Supervision, Santa Ana, CA
Curtis Walker, Curtis K. Walker, Attorney at Law, Minneapolis, MN
Montrice Godard Yakimov, Office of Thrift Supervision, Washington, DC

The subprime crisis is here, and troubled borrowers need legal assistance. This workshop will offer background on the mortgage industry, subprime lending, and factors contributing to the current crisis. In addition, panelists will explore options available to homeowners in distress.

The Synergy of Pro Bono and Diversity: Balancing Challenges and Opportunities

C. Elaine Arabatzis, Dickstein Shapiro, LLP, New York, NY
Anna Brown, Shearman & Sterling, LLP, New York, NY
Saralyn Cohen, Shearman & Sterling, LLP, New York, NY
David A. Lash, O'Melveny & Myers, LLP, Los Angeles, CA
Lillian M. Moy, Legal Aid Society of Northeastern New York, Albany, NY

This workshop will feature panelists from law firms which recognize and nurture the synergy between pro bono and diversity. Speakers will address their experiences with linking pro bono and diversity in marketing, recruitment and retention and client services. Each will discuss what this partnership looks like on a daily basis and the opportunities and challenges of this synergy. Law firm pro bono and diversity programs will benefit equally from the intertwining of these efforts. Legal services providers will learn how to foster a law firms dual commitments to pro bono and diversity.

United We Stand: Intake/Hotline and Full Service Delivery Programs Working Together to Provide Optimal Delivery

Emily Chafa, Iowa Legal Aid, Des Moines, IA
Cindy Domingue-Hendrickson, Legal Aid Society of Mid-NY, Inc., Utica, NY
Joan Kleinberg, Northwest Justice Project, Seattle, WA
Cheryl Nolan, Legal Services Corporation, Washington, DC
Alison Paul, Montana Legal Services Association, Helena, MT
Bonnie Roswig, Center for Children's Advocacy's Medical/Legal Partnership Project, Hartford, CT

This session will discuss steps programs can take to fully integrate their helplines into full service delivery systems and thus maximize the potential for their programs. Panelists will discuss tools that can be used to achieve this aim, as well as different approaches to integration. An interesting component of this session will be addressing the challenges of keeping staff up to date on substantive developments in the law, quality control and how intake and full service staff can share resources.

Using Technology to Advance Your Mission: Challenges and Opportunities for the Up-to-Date Legal Aid Law Firm

Kate Bladow, Pro Bono Net, Gwynn Oak, MD
Kathleen Brockel, Legal Services National Technology Assistance Project, Albuquerque, NM
Rachel Medina, Center for Access to Justice and Technology, Chicago, IL
Alison Paul, Montana Legal Services Association, Helena, MT
Joyce Raby, Legal Services Corporation, Washington, DC

Document Available: Presentation PowerPoint (5.8 Mb)

The appropriate use of technology by legal aid programs can be a powerful tool in meeting the access to justice needs of diverse client communities. This workshop will highlight technologies that can be in place in an up-to-date legal aid law firm to support client service delivery by programs and pro bono attorneys, including innovations in intake, service delivery, case management, document production and communication.

Using Todays Technology to Market Your Pro Bono Program and to Help Pro Bono Attorneys

Michael Bergmann, Public Interest Law Initiative, Chicago, IL
The Honorable Nancy C. Dreher, for the District of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN
William Fisher, Gray Plant Mooty, Minneapolis, MN
Katie Kimlinger, Minnesota Bar Association Bankruptcy Pro Bono Website, Minneapolis, MN
Allegra Rich, Seyfarth Shaw, Chicago, IL

The program will focus on macro level strategies, including websites, e-newsletter and e-mails, for effectively promoting your agency and its pro bono program and targeting a general audience, including pro bono attorneys, clients and funders. The Bankruptcy website developed for pro bono attorneys in the Eighth Circuit developed by the Pro Bono Committee of the Minnesota Bar Association will be discussed.

Utilizing Video Conferencing for Access to Justice

Kathleen Caldwell, Pine Tree Legal Assistance, Bangor, ME
Stephanie Dannemann, Legal Aid of Western Ohio, Inc., Dayton, OH
Chuck Greenfield, Legal Aid Society of Hawai'i, Honolulu, HI
Tammy Grimm, Superior Court of California, Willows, CA
Ed Higgins, Montana Legal Services Association, Missoula, MT
Alison Paul, Montana Legal Services Association, Helena, MT

This workshop will describe how legal services organizations and the courts are using video conferencing as a powerful and cost effective way to provide remote services to court and community locations that would otherwise go unserved. Participants will learn about innovative court and legal services based programs using video for self-help programs, community education, mediation, training and client representation.

Walk a Month in My Shoes: Appreciating the Client Perspective

Tiela Chalmers, Volunteer Legal Services Program of the Bar Association of San Francisco, San Francisco, CA

In this thought-provoking workshop, attendees will participate in a simulation of the everyday challenges faced by low income clients in different family situations. The simulation demonstrates the hardships faced by low-income clients in different walks of life and how low income communities have distinctive cultures. Participants will role play a low income person for a month, with one goal: to get by. This workshop will provide a unique perspective on clients experiences that will benefit provider staff, volunteers, the judiciary, law schools, and others. All are welcome to attend, but please note space is limited.

When Fund Raising and Pro Bono Intersect

Peter Carson, Bingham McCutchen LLP, San Francisco, CA
Mitchell A. Kamin, Bet Tzedek, Los Angeles, CA
Greg McConnell, Winston & Strawn, Chicago, IL
Steve Nissen, Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP, Los Angeles, CA

Michael Rothenberg, New York Lawyers for the Public Interest, New York, NY

Fund raising and recruiting have always been interlinked connections with pro bono programs. In the last few years, law firms have developed increasingly targeted funding objectives. Similarly, pro bono programs are becoming increasingly sophisticated at leveraging their value as opportunity suppliers. This panel will examine the development of these trends and how law firms and pro bono programs can develop strategies to take advantage of them.

Please report any problems with this site to .

Separator graphical element

Workshop Preview 2008

Updated: 5/12/2008