Excerpt from, "Evaluating Legal Services Programs: California's Equal Access Fund"

Moderator: Bonnie Hough Panelists: Mary Viviano, Caron Caines, Irene Morales, Stephanie Choy

Panel Presentation: Stephanie Choy, Public Interest Clearinghouse

2005 Equal Justice Conference, Austin Texas

Nuts and Bolts: How to Tell a Story

(Background) In March 2005, the AOC and the State Bar were tasked with the job of preparing a report to the California legislature on the "efficient and effective" use of the Equal Access Funds. The Legal Aid Association of California worked with the legal aid organizations to gather the evaluative data to prepare the report. From the beginning, the AOC and State Bar knew that they needed quantitative data, but they also wanted to bring heart to the message with stories.