The Legal Services Corporation has announced that Philadelphia Legal Assistance is one of the 11 legal aid organizations selected to receive grants from its new Pro Bono Innovation Fund to support projects that develop replicable innovations in pro bono services for low-income clients. 

The Philadelphia Legal Assistance project will use the network of existing neighborhood public health centers in Philadelphia to create a pro bono, law- student-driven Medical-Legal Community Partnership that will improve access to comprehensive, coordinated health and legal care for low-income clients. Law student volunteers will also participate in "Skills Lab" sessions and weekly group supervision to hone their legal skills and collaborative problem-solving.

The grant will provide PLA with $240,305 to fund the project over two years.

People who live in poverty disproportionately experience legal and health problems from homelessness, substandard housing, being uninsured and having to choose between food or heat. These "socio-legal needs" can affect the health of low-income families and the efficacy of medical services, as even the best care is undermined by unmet legal needs.

"I congratulate Philadelphia Legal Assistance on their innovative medical-legal partnership model that is helping to ensure that low-income families in our community have their medical and social service needs met more effectively," Rep. Chaka Fattah (PA-02) said. "This grant will help PLA sustain and amplify the Medical-Legal-Community Partnership, while continuing to help provide and expand legal assistance to thousands of Philadelphians. I am proud to have pushed for the creation of the Pro Bono Innovation Fund in Congress so programs like this can continue the pursuit of equal access to justice."

Many of the projects receiving innovation grants use emerging legal aid technology to reach rural populations. Others create extensive pro bono partnerships with local law schools, community organizations, and corporate attorneys. All the projects seek to engage and recruit pro bono lawyers and other volunteers to leverage LSC’s federal funding and increase the resources available to low-income clients.

"We are grateful to Congress for funding this new competitive grant program to increase pro bono support for civil legal aid," LSC President Jim Sandman said. "As a former antitrust lawyer, I believe that competition promotes innovation. The number and quality of the applications for our new Pro Bono Innovation Fund grants proves the point."

The creation of the fund was recommended by LSC’s Pro Bono Task Force, and Congress allocated $2.5 million for it in its FY-2014 budget.

The other ten recipients of the 2014 Pro Bono Innovation Fund are:

Atlanta Legal Aid Society - $212,837, 24 months
Atlanta Legal Aid Society will integrate pro bono attorneys throughout their offices in five counties to make follow-up contact with clients and provide additional brief services, which has been proven to improve client outcomes significantly.

Colorado Legal Services - $173,808, 24 months
Colorado Legal Services will collaborate with the Colorado Bar Association to develop different technologies and clinic structures to identify the most effective ways to replicate metropolitan-area pro bono clinics in rural parts of the state.

Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles - $309,451, 24 months
Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles will partner with Neighborhood Legal Services of Los Angeles County and OneJustice to develop the California Pro Bono Training Institute, a statewide online forum of substantive trainings that will provide legal services organizations and pro bono attorneys with high-quality, engaging, and on-demand Continuing Legal Education courses relevant to pro bono work for low-income clients.

Legal Assistance of Western New York (LawNY) - $314,068, 18 months
In response to New York Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman's two major pro bono initiatives, LawNY is partnering with five other LSC grantees in New York State to create a new pro bono practice group across organizations and coordinate pro bono opportunities among their 33 offices and nine New York law schools, including the Feerick Center for Social Justice at Fordham University School of Law, which staffs the Attorney Emeritus Program for the Office of Court Administration.

Maryland Legal Aid - $265,464, 24 months
Maryland Legal Aid will establish a single, statewide Veterans Hotline, staffed by qualified pro bono attorneys who will be recruited and trained throughout the state to effectively and efficiently meet the legal needs of Maryland’s low-income veterans population.

Montana Legal Services Association - $141,087, 24 months
Montana Legal Services Association’s project will develop a statewide technology platform targeting barriers to legal service delivery for solo practitioners, small firms, government attorneys, law students, and paralegals.

Northwest Justice Project - $211,120, 24 months
Northwest Justice Project will develop a comprehensive set of resources to support pro bono attorneys in providing significant assistance beyond brief advice or limited action in unfamiliar areas of law, systematically increasing the level of extended services provided to low-income clients.

Prairie State Legal Services, Inc. - $158,815, 18 months
Prairie State Legal Services will partner with Illinois Legal Aid Online to recruit and train pro bono attorneys in suburban areas and other ‘collar counties’ surrounding Chicago in an effort to provide legal services for single parents in need of family law assistance.

Utah Legal Services - $190,000, 24 months
Utah Legal Services is partnering with the Self-Help Center of the Utah State Courts, local Utah State Bar Pro Bono committees, Timpanogos Legal Center, and volunteer law students and attorneys to provide a continuum of service for clients representing themselves in family law matters in rural areas in Utah. These organizations will expand their collaboration by creating an online meeting and document-sharing platform that connects clients with on-call volunteer attorneys.

Volunteer Lawyers Project of the Boston Bar Association - $158,045, 24 months
The Volunteer Lawyers Project of the Boston Bar Association will test and prototype "pop-up" clinics, a customized virtual law firm platform, and cost-effective videoconferencing to allow expert bankruptcy volunteers in Boston to train and mentor pro bono attorneys in parts of the state where no pro bono bankruptcy attorneys are available.

LSC Press Release