Gearing up for Pathways to Justice and other summer activities

"Unified Voice of Legal Services"

LAAC In Action - May 2012

About LAAC

Salena Copeland:

Directing Attorney

Please contact her at scopeland@laaconline.org

if you have any questions regarding the LAAC Sections, our advocacy work with the state legislature, or our Campaign for Justice.

Patrick Fodell:

Program Associate

Please contact him at pfodell@laaconline.org if you have any questions about LAAC trainings.

Natasha Ong:

Executive and Program Associate

Please contact her at nong@one-justice.org if you have any questions about upcoming LAAC events.

Denise Watt:

Program Coordinator

Please contact her at dwatt@laaconline.org

if you have any questions about the Model Approaches grant or LAAC membership benefits.

Julia Wilson:

Executive Director of both the Legal Aid Association of California (LAAC) and OneJustice.

Like what LAAC

has been doing?


	Join our other email lists!

For Email Marketing you can trust

Pathways to Justice 2012

Presented by The State Bar of California Office of Legal Services, Legal Aid Association of California, and the Administrative Office of the Courts Equal Access Project.

When: June 7-8, 2012
Where: UC Hastings College of the Law, San Francisco

ONLINE REGISTRATION available now. Click here for more information. EARLY BIRD DISCOUNT deadline of May 15.

If you are staff at a LAAC member organization, please register as a LAAC member! LAAC will pay the State Bar $10 for each registrant to help encourage all staff at our member programs to attend this fantastic training.

Awards of Merit Honorees

LAAC is pleased to announce the 2012 Awards of Merit Honorees, who will be honored at a special reception during the 2012 Pathways to Justice Conference.

Legal Services Attorney:

Catherine Bishop, Senior Staff Attorney

National Housing Law Project

Legal Secretary:

Ethel Louise Oden-Brown

National Center for Youth Law

Paralegal:

Julio Edrosolan
Bay Area Legal Aid

Volunteer and Board Member: James Meeker
Legal Aid Society of Orange County and Public Law Center

For more information on our awards please click here.

LAAC Advocacy:
Legislative Updates!

Many of the bills we've been monitoring have either passed or failed to pass through committees.

See http://www.laaconline.org/CurrentAdvocacy for a full update and links to each bill.

Some highlights:

LAAC opposed AB 2043 (Wagner), a class action bill. It failed in committee.

LAAC supports AB 2684 (Judiciary), a civil interpreter costs recovery bill. The Assembly Judiciary Committee pass it this week.

LAAC supports AB 1775 (Wieckowski), a wage garnishment bill. The committee passed it this week. We are working on a template letter for programs to write support letters to the Senate Judiciary Committee.

LAAC Coordination:
Do you work with seniors?

Meet with your fellow advocates on June 6!

Registration is now open for the June 6, 2012 statewide senior legal services provider meeting. Click here to register

This meeting, held the day before the Pathways to Justice conference in San Francisco, is free of charge and travel stipends are available.

The deadline to apply for stipends is TODAY Friday, May 4.

Contact Denise Watt at dwatt@laaconline.org or at (415) 834-0100 x 304 to apply.

If you work with seniors, come to this meeting to:

Earn up to 1.5 hours of MCLE credit through trainings on Social Security and health care
Share resources that you use in your work, and receive new resources from your fellow advocates
Participate in discussions about targeting services to those most in need, accessing pro bono resources, and more

We look forward to seeing you in June! Contact Denise at dwatt@laaconline.org with any questions.

LAAC Trainings:

Family Law Series

A Legal Response to Pregnancy and Violence in California Schools

May 8, 2012: Noon - 1 p.m.

1 hour of general MCLE credit

This training will focus on federal and state laws that protect the civil and educational rights of pregnant and parenting teens along with a discussion of the most common violations currently occurring at schools. The training will also include a school's legal obligations to respond to teen dating violence and the direct correlation between teen dating violence and teen pregnancy.

Presented by:

Jenny Li

California Women's Law Center

Consumer Law Series

Introduction to Auto Fraud

May 10, 2012: Noon - 1 p.m.

1 hour of general MCLE credit

An introduction to the statutory claims available to California consumers.

Presented by:

Scott Maurer

Katharine and George Alexander Community Law Center

Credit Reporting Issues for Seniors

May 24, 2012: Noon - 1 p.m.

1 hour of general MCLE credit

This webinar will go over basic credit reporting issues for seniors, why credit is important, as well as ways that advocates and lawyers can help fix an individual's credit.

Presented by:

Persis Yu

National Consumer Law Center

Public Benefit Series

They're the Same Families: CalWORKs Child Care Subsidy Law and Advocacy Opportunities

May 16, 2012: Noon - 1 p.m.

1 hour of general MCLE credit

When most legal services advocates think about public benefits for families they think about cash aid, food, and health care. But it's time to add a fourth leg to that stool-child care! Child care subsidies for low-income families provide work support for the parent while giving the child access to early educational opportunities. This webinar will focus on which families are eligible to receive child care assistance, the different types of assistance available, and the framework for child care in the state.

Presented by:

Claire Ramsey

Child Care Law Center

Access to Federally Subsidized Housing

May 23, 2012: Noon - 1 p.m.

1 hour of general MCLE credit

This webinar will address the rights of people applying for federally subsidized housing, including public housing and Section 8 programs. We will cover issues that affect access to federally subsidized housing, including wait lists, preferences, income limits, immigration status, and criminal history screening. Additionally, we will briefly discuss options for applicants who are denied federally subsidized housing.

Presented by:

Meliah Schultzman

National Housing Law Project

How to Prepare for Administrative Hearings

May 25, 2012: Noon - 1 p.m.

1 hour of general MCLE credit

This webinar will address how to properly prepare, gather documentation, and present at an administrative hearing, including making a record for appeal. The webinar is beneficial for both attorneys and paralegals who handle administrative hearings as part of their duties.

Presented by:

Stephanie Haffner

Western Center on Law and Poverty

Immigrant Eligibility for Public Benefits in California

May 30, 2012: Noon - 1 p.m.

1 hour of general MCLE

This webinar examines the rules governing immigrant eligibility for health care and public benefits programs in California. The webinar will review the immigration categories that are relevant for pubic benefits purposes, services that are available regardless of status, as well as programs with restrictions based on immigration status.

Presented by:

Tanya Broder and Alvaro Huerta

National Immigration Law Center

Please email pfodell@laaconline.org if you have any questions, and

More trainings to come!

The Legal Aid Association of California| www.LAAConline.org

433 California Street, Suite 815 | San Francisco, CA 94104