When LAAC was founded twenty-one years ago, one of its stated purposes was to advocate for funding for legal services and to increase clients access to the courts and legal system. In keeping with LAACs mission, the Board of Directors has prioritized increasing LAACs advocacy capacity. LAAC has continued to act as a zealous advocate for funding for our community, and with the Boards adoption of a formal advocacy policy in 2004, has expanded its advocacy efforts to include substantive and procedural issues of great import to legal services.
Click HERE to go to a folder with information and downloadable documents regarding LAAC's most current advocacy work. In addition, a sample of LAAC's advocacy achievements in recent years include:
Funding for Legal Services
In 2004 and 2005, LAAC worked with the Administrative Office of the Courts, the Access Commission and the State Bar to ensure legal services representation at three Bench Bar Coalitions Day In Sacramento. These events offered an opportunity for the legal services community to actively support the AOCs work to increase the Equal Access Fund.
In 2005, LAAC coordinated with member programs and the State Bar to build advocate and client testimony at a Judicial Council hearing on equal access to the courts for low-income and other underrepresented individuals, as well as the Equal Access Fund. Judicial Council members and other attendees were deeply moved, some even to tears, by the clients testimony.
LAAC Director, Julia R. Wilson, also works with the Funding Committee of the California Commission on Access to Justice, to examine and explore methods for increasing legal services financial support and resources.
Representing the Community
Frye v. Tenderloin Housing Clinic. LAAC has taken a lead role on behalf of legal services in responding to the Appellate Ruling on this case, which held that non-profit corporations practicing law must register with the State Bar under registration requirements that many of our programs could not satisfy. LAAC wrote an amicus letter requesting that the Supreme Court grant review and is writing an amicus brief arguing against registration.
Other Cases: LAAC has ensured that the legal services voice was heard on a variety of other cases affecting programs and clients, including: Fee Waiver Denials (Patton v. Los Angeles Superior Court); the use of collateral estoppel to bar the criminal conviction for welfare fraud of a client who received a favorable administrative decision (People v. Garcia); and challenging the use of the local initiative process to set GA standards (Pettye et al v. CCSF et al.).
Legislative and Administrative Advocacy
LAAC also undertakes legislative and administrative advocacy on behalf of the legal services community on proposed legislation affecting programs and clients. These efforts have included the Nonprofit Integrity Act (SB 1262), Senator Dunns current bill to increase the number of judgeships in California (SB 56), and the State Bars Registered Legal Services Attorneys Program.