Understand how funding for legal aid works and
support increased funding on both the state and federal
level. Supporting access to justice is a
bi-partisan cause.
Put your
lawyer trust account funds with a "Leadership Bank." These
banks are committed to maximizing the rate of return on
IOLTA accounts. The interest from these accounts
is distributed by the Oregon Law Foundation.
Contact the OLF to locate the Leadership Banks in your
community.
Do pro bono work through your local legal aid office. Contact your local office. Some offices provide
direct referrals, others use pro bono lawyers to assist
in case screening. Remember that the offices are
stretched and that administering pro bono programs takes
office resources. Please be patient.
Sign up to receive a weekly e-mail with available pro
bono cases. Right
now the list serves the Portland Metro area and Central
Oregon. Expansion plans are in the works.
Give generously to the Campaign for Equal Justice. The best way to increase access is to create more legal aid
staff attorney positions.
Include the Endowment Fund in your estate plan. Gifts and bequests to the Endowment Fund
will grow to be a source of perpetual, stable support for
Oregon’s legal programs and a lasting legacy for donors.For more information contact Sandy Hansberger.
Understand how legal services are
delivered in your community so that you can make
appropriate referrals for low-income clients.
Become involved in your local
legal aid offices’ priority setting. Periodically, your
local office seeks input on the legal needs of the
low-income client community and the priority of these legal
needs.
Take a legal aid lawyer to lunch. No kidding. Get
to know the lawyers and their work. Besides, it would be a
really nice thing to do.
