Legal Aid ANNOUNCEMENTS


Check here for upcoming legal aid events. If you are a Christian Legal Aid center and would like us to add any of you upcoming events here please contact us.

 

LEGAL AID SUMMIT

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2017

8:00 AM TO 5:30 PM
NEWPORT BEACH, CA

 

The Legal Aid Summit provides Christian legal aid staff and volunteers from around the country the opportunity to learn, support, and be a blessing to each other as we grow in our ability to serve those in need.

Everyone is welcome, including CLA leaders, staff attorneys, volunteer attorneys, clinic board members, non-attorneys who work with legal aid clinics, and anyone interested in exploring Christian legal aid. Join us for a great time of learning and fellowship!

Click here for more details

 

 


 

Keys to Recruiting & Retaining CLA Volunteers Webinar

 

Wed, 8 March 2017
12:30 – 1:30 PM ET

For most Christian legal aid clinics, volunteers are the lifeblood of their ministry. Volunteer attorneys are on the front line of serving clients. Non-attorneys help with valuable administrative tasks and ministry roles. Join two CLA leaders in a discussion of keys to recruiting volunteers -- and even more importantly -- retaining volunteers for the long-haul. Topics to be addressed:

  • Finding volunteers

  • Motivating volunteers

  • Equipping volunteers

  • Appreciating volunteers

REGISTER HERE

Presented by:

Jim Helfrich – Attorney Coordinator, Justice and Mercy Legal Aid Clinic (Denver, CO). Jim is a commercial and securities litigation attorney and serves as the attorney coordinator for a roughly 100-volunteer Christian legal aid program sponsored by the Christian Legal Society of Metro Denver and the Justice and Mercy Legal Aid Clinic (“JAMLAC”). Jim helped launch the Denver volunteer program (1999), which now serves eight locations. Jim also assisted the start up of Denver’s staffed program, JAMLAC (2006), where full-time attorneys, paralegals, interns and volunteers manage approximately 50 active cases each week. Jim currently serves on JAMLAC’s advisory board and on the board of its parent organization, Mile High Ministries.

Lori Young - Executive Director of Trinity Legal Clinic of Oklahoma (Oklahoma City, OK). As ED, Lori oversees approximately 50 volunteer attorneys who provide free legal services to people in poverty while sharing the love of Christ. Trinity Legal Clinic operates free legal clinics at four locations, where they assist approximately 225 clients each year with legal issues involving, among others, family law, criminal law, social security, and housing. Lori is also an adjunct professor at a local community college teaching Leadership and Public Service Administration and serves on the board of a local food pantry, the Brit-Vil Food Pantry.

 


 

Legal Aid Summit
Washington, DC
October 20, 2016

Nearly 70 staff attorneys, volunteers, and friends from around the country attended the 2016 Christian Legal Aid Summit.  We had a wonderful time of learning, networking, and fellowship with each other.  Save the date for next year's CLS conference in Newport Beach, CA,  Oct. 26-29, 2017!

Seminar topics

    • Biblical Foundations of Justice for the Poor
    • Fundraising for CLA Clinics
    • Taking Your CLA Clinic to the Next Level
    • Litigation for Non-Litigators
    • Serving Victims of Domestic Violence
    • CLA Best Practices
    • Serving Refugees & Undocumented Immigrants

"Lessons Learned On the CLA Journey

Audio Presentation

 Wed., June 22, 2016
12:30pm - 1:30pm ET / 9:30 - 10:30am PT

Join CLS for a conversation with two leaders of successful Christian legal aid clinics as they share wisdom from their experience as executive directors of their respective CLA programs. Hear about their successes, challenges, and lessons learned in leading and growing two different CLA clinics. Recommended for anyone involved in leadership at a Christian legal aid program.
 
Sign up here for this free webinar.
 
 

Good Samaritan Advocates (No. Va.) Reception.  Join friends and volunteers of Good Samaritan Advocates for drinks and hors d'oeuvres and to learn more about serving the poor with the love of Christ in northern Virginia.  March 3, 2016,  5:30 – 7:30pm in Tysons Corner, VA.  Please RSVP to: GSA@gsadvocates.org

 

Justice Prayer Night in NYC. Join Open Hands Legal Services in New York City for a night of prayer and fellowship in centering our hearts and our work on God's vision for justice for our broken world.  March 7, 2016, 7:00pm.  Click here to register.

San Jose CA - CLA Interest Meeting. Calling all attorneys in the south bay (San Jose) CA area! We invite you to an introductory meeting on Fri., March 18, 2016, 5 - 6:30pm, to pray and learn about the vision of starting a Christian legal aid clinic here. There are no Christian legal aid programs in all of northern California. Come to hear how God may be calling you to use your legal skills to serve those in need. (If you know anyone in the area, please help spread the word!) For details, contact: clasouthbay@gmail.com.


 

"Justice for the Poor"

Ken Liu, Dir. Legal Aid Ministries
Belmont University Chapel & Law School
Feb. 8, 2016, 12:00pm


 

“2016 Goals and Beyond: Strategic Planning
for Christian Legal Aid Leaders” Webinar

 

Wed., January 20th, 12:30 - 2:00ET / 9:30 - 11:00PT

 

Every nonprofit, including Christian legal aid clinics, should have a plan to improve the effectiveness of their ministry.  The question of planning thoroughly and trusting the Lord to bless our efforts is an on-going issue for most Christian ministries.  The goal of this webinar is to provide an overview of strategic planning do’s and don’ts and a brief framework for creating a plan.  Recommended for CLA leaders and board members.

 

      • Why organizations fail
      • A Biblical perspective on strategic planning
      • Do I really need a strategy?
      • What is a strategy?
      • Role of board and leadership in strategy development
      • Strategy implementation

RSVP HERE

Corby Megorden, Principal at Ennis Consulting & Conciliation, LLC, has decades of executive experience helping organizations navigate the challenges of growth, risk, and change. His expertise covers operations, program management, and financial development in non-profits, industry, and the military.  At KPMG Consulting, he served as the Acquisition Manager advising the Navy in weapons systems procurement strategies. As the VP of Operations for TeleCommunication Systems, he helped guide the company from startup to a publicly traded company.  As Administrator of a 4,000 member church, he developed procedures to manage finances and operations through periods of rapid growth, economic challenges, and radical organizational change. With a Masters in Engineering Administration and 12 years as a licensed pastor, he has unique knowledge of the processes and interpersonal dynamics in which organizations function.   Corby has served on numerous non-profit boards including Covenant Life School, Christ Church of Mt. Airy, and ONE-U Campus Ministries. He and his wife Vilma live in Gaithersburg, MD.

 


 

Starting a "Low Bono" Law Practice Webinar 

Wed., October 28, 2015

12:30pm - 1:30pm ET


Most lawyers are aware of the importance of pro bono legal services for meeting the needs of those in poverty.  But what about the needs of the millions of Americans who have some income, but for whom market-rate legal fees are still an obstacle? A growing segment of solo attorneys and small firms have started practices intentionally targeting low- to moderate-income clients.

Join CLS for a conversation with two attorneys who have charted their own paths with careers serving low to moderate-income clients, including small nonprofits and small businesses.  Hear how they started their solo practices and how they balance work, family, income, and the desire to help those in need.

Sign up here for this free webinar.


Upcoming Christian legal aid clinic benefit events:

  • Christian Legal Aid of D.C. Inaugural Fall Banquet
    November 2, 2015, 7:00 - 9:00 p.m. 
    Keynote speaker: Pastor Thabiti Anyabwile  (who was also a keynote speaker at the CLS Conference)
    Hill Center at the Old Naval Hospital
    Washington, DC 20003

  • Christian Legal Clinics of Philadelphia CLCP Brunch
    November 7, 2015 10:00 – 11:30am
    Crowne Plaza Philadelphia West, Philadelphia, PA

  • Scranton Road Ministries Legal Clinic Annual Benefit Event
    November 12, 2015, 6:00 pm
    Tudor Arms, Cleveland, OH

  • Good Samaritan Advocates Prayer Breakfast Benefit
    November 14, 2015, 9:00 - 11:00am
    Falls Church Presbyterian Church, Falls Church, VA
    Keynote speaker: former Congressman Frank Wolf, human rights advocate

Truth Be Told: Interviewing Strategies

for Immigrant Survivors of Violence

 
Good Samaritan Advocates and Tahirih Justice Center are pleased to present a seminar on "Truth Be Told: Interviewing Strategies for Immigrant Survivors of Violence."  Approved for 2 Virginia CLE credits.
 
Saturday, November 7, 2015 from 9-11AM
Gammon & Grange, PC
8280 Greensboro Dr., 7th F
McLean, VA 22102
contact: GSA@gsadvocates.org

Click here to RSVP


 

 

CHRISTIAN LEGAL AID SUMMIT

 


The Christian Legal Aid Summit provides Christian legal aid staff and volunteers from around the country the opportunity to learn, support, and be a blessing to each other as we grow in our ability to serve those in need. The Summit is a part of the Christian Legal Society's Annual Conference in New Orleans, LA, October 1-4, 2015. Join us for a great time of fellowship and networking!


 

 

Pro-Bono Legal Aid Training

Christian Legal Society - Baltimore Chapter
Saturday, July 25th  8:30am-12:00pm 
By Ken Liu, CLS Director of Legal Aid Ministries

This is an excellent opportunity to learn more about ways to equip yourself to (1) be more effective in your pro-bono ministry, or even (2) explore the possibility of creating your own pro-bono legal aid clinic the future.  It should also provide a unique opportunity to network with other Christian lawyers while learning about ways to serve your local community with the unique skills and abilities that God has entrusted us with as attorneys.  More important even than discovering ways in which you can achieve your annual aspirational pro-bono quota, we will discuss how to make our pro-bono work, also be pro-Deo work.

 WHERE:            Church of the Atonement
                            10613 Georgia Ave
                            Silver Spring, MD 20902

RSVP:      Peter Cairns
                 Peter.Cairns1@gmail.com, or 910-391-5548



"CRIME AND REDEMPTION: SEEKING A BIBLICAL VIEW OF JUSTICE"

Christian Legal Aid DC and Justice Fellowship  
with Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Tim Scott (R-SC)
Tuesday, July 28, 2015 from 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM (EDT)

How should our faith inform how we should respond to crime and to people returning from prison?  How can Christian leaders and voters best approach criminal justice reform? Come take part in a lively discussion of biblical principles and the American justice system with Justice Fellowship and Christian Legal Aid of DC! Join local political and faith leaders as we hear testimonies, take part in a Q&A, and network with others passionate about this topic. Complimentary beverages and light refreshments will be served. There is no cost to attend, but registration is required.

WHERE:   Lutheran Church of the Reformation
                 212 E. Capital St., NE
                 Washington, D.C. 


 

Starting a Christian Legal Aid Clinic” 


 Wed., June 24, 2015,
12:30 - 2:00pm ET

"Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute.  Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy." (Proverbs 31: 8-9)

Is God calling you to serve the poor with your legal skills? What's involved in starting a Christian legal aid clinic? Join Christian Legal Society for a discussion of these and other topics related to starting a Christian legal aid program.

     •    Why should I start a Christian legal aid program?
     •    How much work is involved?
     •    What if I don't have any experience in poverty law issues?
     •    How do I find people to help?
     •    What resources do I need to start a clinic?

RSVP here to join this free webinar. 

 If you know of anyone who may be interested, please help spread the word!


 

Justice for all in our community: poverty law symposium

 

May 29, 2015
Mission First Legal Aid Office & Mississippi College School of Law
Jackson, MS
Open to the public. CLE credit approved.

Click here for details.


 

 

Immigration (BIA) accreditation training

May 31-June 5, 2015 | Marion, Indiana

This course provides a foundation for understanding the immigration system in the United States in preparation for taking the exam for Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) accreditation, the government certification that allows non-attorneys to practice immigration law. Biblical and theological bases for Christian engagement with issues of immigration are covered, giving church and faith-based workers tools to integrate immigration legal ministry into a holistic outreach program. The course will include a visit to a currently operating Immigration Connection site at The Bridge Community Church.

This course is taught in partnership with World Relief and Immigrant Connection.

Cost: $1350 ($495 non-refundable)

For more information email wesley@indwes.edu and see: 
http://worldrelief.org/immigrant-legal-services/events


 

Coaching Legal Aid Clients

to Represent Themselves 

Webinar

 
Wed., April 22, 2015

9:30am PT / 12:30pm ET

The Christian Legal Society is pleased to present a free 1-hour webinar on "Coaching Clients to Represent Themselves (When Necessary)." The demand for pro bono legal help is far greater than the supply of legal aid attorneys.  Christian legal aid attorneys can provide much help without offering full representation, by providing clients with legal resources, coaching, and limited assistance. Join us for a discussion on how to provide meaningful assistance for clients to help themselves in addressing legal problems. Topics will include:

  • I wish I could do more – reasons to offer less than full representation
  • No size fits all – varieties of pro se assistance
  • I know a guy – how to make effective referrals
  • When no help is better than some help – limitations and common pitfalls of pro se assistance

All staff and volunteers of Christian legal aid clinics welcome!

Sign-up here for this free webinar.  

Since 2007 David has been the Managing attorney at Open Door Legal Services, a ministry of Seattle’s Union Gospel Mission that serves the legal needs of homeless individuals in the Seattle/King County area. Previously, David was a prosecutor in the Family Support unit of the Snohomish County Prosecutor’s office for seven years. He began his career as a criminal prosecutor in King County in 1999. David is a graduate of Georgetown University Law Center.

Presented by David Mace of Open Door Legal Services.
(A CLE certification of attendance can be provided for participants to apply for CLE credit in their own state.)


Open Hands Legal Services 6th Annual Spring Benefit

Thursday, March 5, 2015, 7pm - 9pm

Centre for Social Innovation
601 West 26th St., Suite 325
New York NY 10001
 

Join Open Hands Legal Services for the 6th Annual Spring Benefit on Thursday, March 5, 2015. The Benefit will be held at The Centre for Social Innovation in New York City and will feature delicious food and drink, heart-warming testimonials and a VIP pre-event wine-tasting.  It will be a party you won't want to miss!  

Details
When: Thursday, March 5 - General Admission (7-9pm), VIP Reception (6-7pm)
Where: Centre for Social Innovation, 601 West 26th Street, Suite 325, New York, NY 10001
Attire: Business Casual

Buy your tickets now!
Click here to purchase a general admission, general admission ticket packages, or a special VIP ticket. Feel free to forward this invitation to friends, colleagues and others interested in NYC legal services for those in need.