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Title
Equal Access Fund | Distribution of Funds for IOLTA-Formula Grants and Partnership Grants (Action Required)
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Summary
Summary
The Legal Services Trust Fund Commission recommends approval of the distribution of $40,487,700 to the State Bar of California for the 2023 Equal Access Fund Interest on Lawyers' Trust Accounts (IOLTA)-Formula Grants and Partnership Grants for distribution to legal services providers and support centers to be used for legal services in civil matters for indigent persons and self-represented litigants to improve equal access and the fair administration of justice, as authorized by the Budget Act of 2023. This amount is contingent on filing fee income received for fiscal year 2023-24, which constitutes approximately 13 percent of this allocation. In accordance with the Budget Act, the Judicial Council will also reserve approximately 3 percent of the total for administration. The Legal Services Trust Fund Commission also recommends approval of the grant awards made by the commission, which comply with statutory and other relevant guidelines.
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Recommendation
Recommendation
The Legal Services Trust Fund Commission recommends that the Judicial Council, effective September 19, 2023, approve the distribution of up to $40,487,700 to the State Bar of California for the 2023 Equal Access Fund IOLTA Formula Grants and Partnership Grants as authorized by the Budget Act of 2023, including:
* Up to 2.8 percent of the total, or $1,158,900, for administration of the program; and
* After deducting administrative costs:
o 90 percent of the total, or up to $31,506,480, to be allocated through the IOLTA-Formula Grants to legal services providers and support centers to provide legal services in civil matters for indigent persons; and
o 10 percent of the total, or $3,500,720, to be allocated as Equal Access Fund Partnership Grants for projects conducted jointly by courts and legal services providers to make legal assistance available ...
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