From Julia R. Wilson, LAAC Director                                          

Happy Holidays from the LAAC Board and staff!  A mentor of mine recently shared with me three simple guidelines for effecting long-lasting change.  As we prepare for the coming New Year, I’d like to use these guidelines as a framework for communicating LAAC’s appreciation for the work of legal services programs and advocates and our commitment to the legal services community for 2007.

The first guideline is: BE PRESENT.  You all have already chosen to be present – for your clients, your program, and our community.  Let us never forget that that your choice is no small thing.   Despite the many challenges that exist in this work, the nasty opposing counsel, the difficult client you saw the day before, despite the emotional toll of having a caseload full of people experiencing crisis and in significant need, you choose to show up every day.  That choice sends a profound message — that this effort matters. 

The second is: BE PASSIONATE.   As a German poet once said, “Nothing great in the world has ever been accomplished without passion.”   When the legal services movement was being created in the 1960s, there was a sense of shared passion, excitement, and idealism about the work.  In recent years, our community has been embattled with funding losses, growing client needs, and tremendous opposition from many sides.  While we’ve survived those battles, we’ve retreated some from taking a proactive, passionate position about why our work is a vital component of society.  We should not be embarrassed about the passion we bring to this work; we should celebrate it and share it with others as a source of inspiration!

And now the third and final guideline: DON’T GET HUNG UP ON THE OUTCOMES.  I acknowledge that this is almost sacrilegious to say in the nonprofit world today.  Of course we need to have goals and measure our successes, but we have to balance that by keeping our vision focused on the big picture.  Our work is not just about helping with one discrete legal problem, it also about empowering people to become their own advocates.  Our work is not just about ensuring access to justice – it’s about ensuring JUSTICE itself.

The upcoming year promises to be an exciting time for our community, with increases in the available funding for legal services, including the creation of new funding sources.  We have unprecedented support by the Courts, the Legislature, and the State Bar for what we do.  I suggest to you all that we are on the cusp of a whole new era for legal services.  And so what does LAAC pledge to all of you, in this time of change and possibilities?

LAAC pledges that we will be present. Whether it is at a legislative hearing, a Supreme Court oral argument, or a meeting of law firm pro bono coordinators, we promise to show up and ensure that your voices and your needs are heard.

LAAC pledges that we will be passionate.  We care deeply about the work that you do every day; we share your passion for our collective efforts, and we will trumpet the importance of legal services from every available forum, taking that message to our legislature, the larger legal community, and the public whenever possible.

And LAAC pledges to you that we will keep focused on the grandest vision possible for our community and keep striving to make that vision a reality for all of us.

Because it matters what you do.  Clearly it matters deeply to your clients – but it also matters to your organization, your local community, and to the entire state.  You all act as the vocal conscience of our society, you are the people who choose to stand up and make noise when something is unjust, and you hold our agencies and institutions to their highest ideals.

And lastly, it matters to LAAC.  We honor the choices you have made to be present in this community and to do the work that you take on every day.  It is our privilege to serve and support you in this effort.         

Wishing you and yours a happy holiday season and all the best in 2007!