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The United States Government Manual
Legal Services Corporation
3333 K Street NW., Washington, DC 20007
202-295-1500
202-337-6797
http://www.lsc.gov
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
| CHAIR | John G. Levi |
| Vice-Chair | Fr. Pius Pietrzyk, O.P. |
| Robert J. Grey, Jr. | |
| Matthew Keenan | |
| Abigail Lawlis Kuzma | |
| Victor B. Maddox | |
| John G. Malcolm | |
| Laurie Mikva | |
| Frank X. Neuner, Jr. | |
| Julie A. Reiskin | |
| Gloria Valencia-Weber |
LEADERSHIP
| PRESIDENT | Ronald S. Flagg |
| Chief of Staff | Rebecca Fertig Cohen |
| VICE PRESIDENTS | |
| Government Relations and Public Affairs | Carol A. Bergman |
| Grants Management | Lynn A. Jennings |
| Legal Affairs | William A. Gunn |
| Corporate Secretary | Rebecca Fertig Cohen |
| General Counsel | William A. Gunn |
| Treasurer | Deborah Moore |
Chief Officers
| Data | (vacancy) |
| Financial | Deborah Moore |
| Information | Jada Breegle |
Office Directors
| Compliance and Enforcement | Lora Rath |
| Data Governance and Analysis | (vacancy) |
| Human Resources | Traci Higgins |
| Institutional Advancement | Nadia Elguindy |
| Program Performance | Joyce McGee |
| Inspector General | Jeffrey E. Schanz |
The Legal Services Corporation promotes equal access to justice and provides civil legal assistance to low-income persons.
ESTABLISHMENT AND ORGANIZATION
On July 25, 1974, President Richard M. Nixon approved Public Law 93–355 "to amend the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964 to provide for the transfer of the legal services program from the Office of Economic Opportunity to a Legal Services Corporation." The Legal Services Corporation Act of 1974, as amended (42 U.S.C. 2996 et seq.), established a private, nonprofit corporation to promote equal access to justice under the law for all Americans.
https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/STATUTE-88/pdf/STATUTE-88-Pg378.pdfThe President appoints, by the advice and with the consent of the Senate, the 11 members who constitute the Board of Directors, which heads the LSC. By law, it is bipartisan and no more than six members may be of the same political party. A member is appointed to a term of 3 years. A majority of the Board members must be members of the bar of the highest court of any State. The Board meets four or more times per year.
https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2017-title42/pdf/USCODE-2017-title42-chap34.pdfAn organizational chart is available on the "LSC Leadership" web page.
https://www.lsc.gov/about-lsc/lsc-leadershipACTIVITIES
Congressional appropriations fund the LSC to provide legal services through grants to independent, local legal services provider programs. These programs are selected through a system of competition. In 2017, the LSC funded 133 programs. Together, they serve every county and congressional district in the Nation, as well as the U.S. Territories. Some of these programs address the particular needs of Native Americans and migrant farmworkers.
http://www.lsc.gov/what-legal-aid/how-we-workThe legal services delivery system is based on several principles: local priorities, national accountability, competition for grants, and a strong public-private partnership. Local programs are governed by their own boards of directors, which set priorities and determine the types of cases that will be handled subject to restrictions set by Congress. A majority of each local board is appointed by local bar associations, and one-third of each local board is composed of client representatives appointed by client groups. Each board hires its own executive director. Programs may supplement their LSC grants with additional funds from State and local governments and other sources. They further leverage Federal funds by involving private attorneys in the delivery of legal services for the poor, mostly through volunteer pro bono work.
LSC-funded programs neither handle criminal cases nor accept fee-generating cases that private attorneys are willing to accept on a contingency basis. In addition, in 1996, a series of new limitations were placed upon activities in which LSC-funded programs may engage on behalf of their clients, even with non-LSC funds. All programs must comply with laws enacted by Congress and the implementing regulations promulgated by the LSC.
http://www.lsc.gov/about-lsc/what-we-doSources of Information
Blog
The LSC maintains a blog.
http://www.lsc.gov/media-center/blogBoard Meetings
Board meeting documents and information are available online.
http://www.lsc.gov/about-lsc/board/board-meetingsBusiness Opportunities
The LSC regularly seeks the assistance of vendors to purchase products and contractors to carry out special projects. The LSC is eligible for General Services Administration schedule pricing and posts requests for proposals on eBuy and FedBizOpps.gov.
http://www.lsc.gov/about-lsc/doing-business-lsc-rfpsCareer Opportunities
The LSC is an organization of socially aware professionals who serve the unrepresented and promote equal justice. Information on career opportunities and working at the LSC is available online.
http://www.lsc.gov/about-lsc/careersCivil Legal Outcomes
The LSC developed its civil legal outcomes toolkit to help legal aid programs with defining, collecting, and reporting on metrics that describe their effectiveness. The toolkit includes detailed instructions, electronic learning modules, examples, and additional resources for implementing an outcomes management system.
https://www.lsc.gov/grants-grantee-resources/civil-legal-outcomesClient Success Stories
An interactive map allows website visitors to browse client success stories by State.
http://www.lsc.gov/what-legal-aid/client-success-storiesContact Us
To make a media inquiry, submit a Freedom of Information Act request, ask a grant submission question, or need to contact the LSC for another reason, use the electronic form on the "Contact Us" web page.
https://www.lsc.gov/about-lsc/contact-usData
The LSC seeks to increase the accessibility of data that can help grantees, the media, and the public better understand the nature of civil legal needs and the services that are available for addressing the legal needs of individuals and families.
https://www.lsc.gov/what-legal-aid/dataDonations
Tax-deductible donations to the LSC support the use of technology innovations in legal services, provide law fellows for civil legal aid programs in need, raise public awareness of the legal aid system crisis, and support research into the effectiveness and need of civil legal aid.
http://www.lsc.gov/support-lsc/donate-nowEvents
A list of upcoming events is available online.
http://www.lsc.gov/meetings-and-events/calendarFacts
What percentage of the population is eligible for LSC-funded assistance? What is the average annual salary of LSC grantee staff attorneys? To learn the answers to these questions and others, visit the "Quick Facts" web page.
http://www.lsc.gov/quick-factsFederal Register
Documents that the Legal Services Corporation recently published in the Federal Register are accessible online.
https://www.federalregister.gov/agencies/legal-services-corporationFind Legal Aid
An online search tool is available to find the nearest LSC-funded legal aid organization by address, city, or ZIP Code.
http://www.lsc.gov/what-legal-aid/find-legal-aidFreedom of Information Act (FOIA)
The FOIA grants any person the right to request access to Federal agency records or information. U.S. Government agencies are required to disclose records after they receive a written request for them; however, the statute shields certain records from disclosure. The LSC complies with the FOIA and releases records to information seekers, as long as the desired records are not shielded. A FOIA request must be made in writing and may be submitted by electronic submission form, email, fax, or postal service. The request should be clearly marked: "Freedom of Information Act Request." Fax, 202-337-6519.
http://www.lsc.gov/about-lsc/foia | Email: FOIA@lsc.govThe LSC maintains a FOIA reading room online. Before submitting a FOIA request, information seekers should search the reading room for records that are immediately accessible.
http://www.lsc.gov/about-lsc/foia/foia-electronic-public-reading-roomGrant Programs
Descriptions of the LSC's seven grant programs—basic field, disaster relief emergency, technology initiative, and veterans appeals pro bono grants; leadership development and loan repayment assistance programs; and pro bono innovation fund—are available online.
http://www.lsc.gov/grants-grantee-resources/our-grant-programsJustice Gap
The justice gap represents the difference between the level of civil legal assistance that is available and the level that is necessary to meet the legal needs of low-income individuals and families. To learn more about the justice gap, visit the "The Unmet Need for Legal Aid" web page.
http://www.lsc.gov/what-legal-aid/unmet-need-legal-aidMaps
The LSC posts maps that provide a visual representation of nationwide statistics on poverty, disaster risks, flood zones, social vulnerability, and on other topics.
https://www.lsc.gov/what-legal-aid/mapsNews
The LSC posts press releases on its website.
http://www.lsc.gov/media-center/press-releasesOversight
The Office of the Inspector General from the LSC posts reports and data on Oversight.gov, a text-searchable repository of reports that Federal Inspectors General publish. The Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency operates and maintains the website to increase public access to independent and authoritative information on the Federal Government.
https://oversight.govPublications
Annual reports, budget requests, factbooks, and reports are accessible online.
http://www.lsc.gov/media-center/publicationsPublic Commentary
The LSC seeks public comments on a variety of proposals affecting grants and operations.
https://www.lsc.gov/about-lsc/matters-commentSharing Best Practices
The "Model Practices and Innovations" web page has a collection of resources: ideas, innovations, projects, and best practices. The legal aid community has contributed these resources as examples, models, or guidance in the quest to provide the highest quality and most effective legal services to low-income communities.
https://www.lsc.gov/grants-grantee-resources/model-practices-innovationsSocial Media
The LSC has a Facebook account.
https://www.facebook.com/LegalServicesCorporationThe LSC tweets announcements and other newsworthy items on Twitter.
https://twitter.com/lsctweets