2017 NLADA Annual Conference

This two-day training is newly updated and more relevant than ever to the challenges facing the legal aid executive director today. It is designed for the new directors of LSC-funded, IOLTA-funded, elder law, pro bono, and protection and advocacy programs. The intent of the New Executive Director training is to help new directors, who typically learn on-the-job, to more quickly achieve deeper insight into their work. The training stresses both (1) knowing what should be done to lead an effective program, and (2) actually doing what needs to be done.

This two-day training is newly updated and more relevant than ever to the challenges facing the legal aid executive director today. It is designed for the new directors of LSC-funded, IOLTA-funded, elder law, pro bono, and protection and advocacy programs. The intent of the New Executive Director training is to help new directors, who typically learn on-the-job, to more quickly achieve deeper insight into their work. The training stresses both (1) knowing what should be done to lead an effective program, and (2) actually doing what needs to be done.

As the population ages, more of the population in need of legal assistance will be older adults. Join us for an interactive discussion about how legal services can promote elder rights and help low-income older adults overcome the barriers they face. Learn about training and technical assistance available through the National Center on Law and Elder Rights, and share best practices for serving low-income older adults.

During this session, we will discuss representing clients with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities (I/DD) in both the criminal and civil legal systems. Overall topics will include: an overview of disability culture and terminology, how to identify potential disability, effective communication with and accommodations for people with I/DD, ethical issues that may arise in representation, tips and strategies for working and communicating effectively with self-advocates, and the various pitfalls in our legal systems where those with I/DD can fall through the cracks. Participants will also have the opportunity to share their own experiences with representing clients with I/DD and brainstorm together about potential accommodations for future clients. Our goal is to have participants leave this session feeling more confident in their ability to work with clients with I/DD and to connect public defenders and legal services attorneys with disability advocacy organizations who can serve as a resource for them in the future.

Last year, NLADA challenged civil legal aid and public defense advocates to “form genuine and sustainable, community-led partnerships aimed at bridging the racial divide in our country.” This provocative conversation aims to encourage and highlight such partnerships, while identifying new opportunities as well as solutions to overcoming the barriers that often interfere with the effectiveness of such collaboration. The panel will answer such questions as: Are civil legal aid (and public defense?) programs embracing racial justice priorities and initiatives throughout our poverty law practice? What work is/should be done to build connection to the Black Lives Matters movement or other community groups working to promote racial justice? Do issues of privilege interfere with our effectiveness? What is the role of program leaders in building and maintaining services and programs most needed in communities of color?

Localities are taking affirmative steps to ensure that limited English proficient (LEP) residents can conduct their business with government offices and have access to basic services and programs. Critical communication occurs daily in local government offices as people pay property tax and utility bills, navigate building permit and business license processes, obtain public health services, report crimes, and seek other government assistance. This session will focus on innovative approaches – including legislation, administrative policy-making, language access planning and reporting, committing resources to language access staff or offices, contracting provisions, and enforcement mechanisms – to expand meaningful access and engagement for LEP communities.

This panel discussion will focus on ways legal aid providers can attract local press coverage, recruit lawmakers for press events, and foster ongoing engagement from both legislators and journalists. Topics will include: (1) Press outreach hire – outside firm, do it in-house? (2) Events most likely to attract press coverage. (3) Most effective ways to reach out to local reporters and when to use them – press releases, phone calls, social media. (4) Moving beyond event coverage to ongoing engagement. (5) Recruiting lawmakers for press events or other forms of engagement. (6) Understanding the congressional calendar and its importance in scheduling events. (7) Proper protocol when dealing with legislators.

ABA Free Legal Answers -- a national portal for income-eligible individuals to pose civil legal questions to volunteer attorneys -- is currently available in a majority of jurisdictions. Integrated into the overall legal services delivery system, the site maximizes services to low- to moderate-income individuals, regardless of location. At the same time, as solo practitioners, law firms, corporate legal departments, government attorneys, stay-at-home parents, retired attorneys, and law students look to expand their set of pro bono options to include convenient, limited-scope advice opportunities, ABA Free Legal Answers serves as a model. Panelists, consisting of website administrators from the American Bar Association, legal aid agencies, and state bar associations as well as volunteer attorneys will offer practical advice on how the site is utilized and marketed in conjunction with existing legal aid services while operating as a mechanism for attorneys to try their hand at pro bono legal aid, before taking on longer term pro bono matters.

Legal aid and public defender programs have operated for decades, helping low-income clients to resolve their legal concerns. Despite these efforts, the need for legal assistance has not diminished, while threats to funding continue. We must use our limited resources to improve delivery methods so as to reach a greater number of people with more efficiency and efficacy. This competence can be achieved through stronger partnerships between public defenders, civil legal aid providers, and social service agencies. Panelists from Rhode Island Legal Services and the Rhode Island Public Defender will describe their internal holistic programs as well as their growing collaboration. These services will be contrasted with those offered by Project Legal Link, an organization housed at Bay Area Legal Aid, which focuses on the role that non-legal advocates can play in helping clients to access the civil and criminal legal services needed to achieve overall success.