Create A Committee

• The first step in developing a successful Work-A-Day initiative is to create a planning committee, comprised of faculty, staff, and students which is charged by your school organization or administration with developing and implementing a plan for a successful Work-A-Day campaign.
• It is important that you put together a diverse team, council, or committee of the proper size. Some experts say that more than 10 or 15 members can be counterproductive. Remember that inclusion is better than exclusion. Find a way for willing individuals to participate. It is important to create a broad base of participation.

Determine the Objective

• The committee should define its overall objective. Do you want to reach out to the students in your school, the community, families in the community or a combination of all three?
• Consider whether your main objective is to disseminate information, fund-raising or hands-on contact through an organization. It could be a combination of all these things or something we haven’t even mentioned.
• Support for your public interest initiatives from all levels of the law school is important, but support from administration is critical. If you are interested in accomplishing multiple tasks, consider creating teams co-chaired by members of the administration. This allows the committee to have authority and legitimacy while serving as an advisory role for the administration.

Looking for funding for your Work-a-Day project this year?

In addition to your law school and affiliated organizations, there are sources within the ABA that can provide funding for your program or a fellowship dealing with homelessness.

ABA Law Student Division Grant Program
The ABA Law Student Division, through its Grant Program, provides financial and program support to student organizations of ABA-approved law schools to establish programs and other activities that emphasize diversity, ethics, professionalism training and public interest/service activities. (Refer to the Work-A-Day Toolkit for details)

• 2008 Veterans Advocacy Toolkit
  • Veterans Advocacy Handbook
  • Veterans Advocacy Website
• 2007 Homelessness and Poverty Toolkit
• 2006 Youth-at-Risk Toolkit
• 2005 Breast Cancer Toolkit
• 2004 Domestic Violence Toolkit

• Work-A-Day Toolkit

Resources from the American Bar Association

• ABA Center for Pro Bono
  • ABA Standing Committee on Pro Bono and Public Service
• ABA Forum on Affordable Housing and Community Development Law
• ABA Section of Labor and Employment Law
• ABA Commission on Homelessness and Poverty
• ABA Standing Committee on Legal Aid and Indigent Defense
• ABA Career Resources Center
• ABA Division for Public Services
• Many state bar associations also have resources available

Other Organizations

• National Legal Aid and Defenders Association
• Foreclosure Real Estate Listing
• Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
• Mortgage Bankers Association
• National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators
• Non profit credit card counseling services:
  • Family Credit Counseling
  • Debt Reduction Services
• Most local Legal Aid Societies have housing law and unemployment law programs

State and Federal Government

• US Department of Housing and Urban Development
• US Federal Housing Authority
• US Federal Reserve
• US Department of Labor
• The Legal Aid Society Employment Law Center
• State and City Housing and Unemployment Offices and Departments

Other Resources

• The Recovery Act
• Online Legal Resources
• Credit Care Statistics
• Freddie Mac
• The United Way

Note:  The organizations and websites listed above are not endorsed by the ABA Law Student Division, but merely provided as a resource for students planning Work-A-Day activities. Please refer to the Work-A-Day Toolkit for short narrative descriptions of the above organizations.