Title
Title
Equal Access Fund: Distribution of Funds for Partnership Grants and IOLTA-Formula Grants (Action Required)
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Summary
Summary
The Budget Act of 2018 includes over $25 million in the Equal Access Fund for distribution to legal services providers and support centers. These monies are distributed primarily in two parts: IOLTA (Interest on Lawyers’ Trust Accounts)-formula grants and partnership grants (with a small amount also distributed for administration). The Legal Services Trust Fund Commission of the State Bar recommends approving distribution of $23,039,970 in IOLTA-formula grants for fiscal year (FY) 2018-19, according to the statutory formula in the state Budget Act, and $2,575,000 in partnership grants for 2019. It further requests approval of the commission’s findings that the proposed budget for each individual grant complies with statutory and other relevant guidelines.
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Recommendation
Recommendation
The Legal Services Trust Fund Commission recommends that the Judicial Council approve the distribution of $23,039,970 in IOLTA-formula grants for FY 2018-19 according to the terms of the state Budget Act, and approve the commission’s determination that the proposed budget of each individual grant complies with statutory and other guidelines.
In addition, the commission recommends that the council approve the distribution of $2,575,000 in Equal Access Fund partnership grants to the following legal services agencies for programs conducted jointly with courts to provide legal assistance to self-represented litigants:
1. Alameda County Bar Association Volunteer Legal Services
Family Law Day of Court Project ... $30,000
Family Law Status Conference ... $65,000
2. Bay Area Legal Aid
San Mateo County Consumer Debt Clinic…$30,000
3. Bet Tzedek Legal Services
Self-Help Elder and Dependent Adult Restraining Order Clinic
(Los Angeles County) ... $80,000
4. California Rural Legal Assistance, Inc.
San Luis Obispo County Rental Clinic for Self-Represented Litigants ...$45,000
5. Central California Legal Services, Inc.
Guardianship Project ... $70,000
Tenant/Landlord Housing Law Project (Fresno) ... $70,000
6. East Bay Community Law Center
Traffic Flash Clinic (Alameda) ... $60,000
7. Elder Law and Advocacy
Imperial County Unlawful Detainer/Elder Abuse Restraining Order Clinic ...$68,000
8. Family Violence Law Center
Domestic Violence Pro Per Project (Alameda) ... $23,000
9. Greater Bakersfield Legal Services
Partnership Shriver Grant (Kern) ... $103,000
10. Justice and Diversity Center
Family Law Assisted Self-Help/Case Resolution (FLASH/CARE) Project
(San Francisco) ... $50,000
Shriver-SASH Self-Help Custody (San Francisco) ... $80,000
11. LACBA Counsel for Justice
Domestic Violence Legal Services Project (Los Angeles) ...$90,000
12. Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles
Long Beach Self-Help Center ... $60,000
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13. Legal Aid Foundation of Santa Barbara
Shriver-Guardianship Project (Northern Santa Barbara County) ... $103,000
14. Legal Aid of Marin
Community Court Expansion ... $80,000
15. Legal Aid Society of Orange County
Consumer Debt Workshop at Central Justice Center (Orange) ...$47,000
Consumer Debt Workshop at Norwalk Courthouse (Los Angeles) ...$35,000
Unlawful Detainer Workshop a at Central Justice Center (Orange) ...$66,000
Unlawful Detainer Workshop at Norwalk Courthouse (Los Angeles) ...$60,000
16. Legal Aid Society of San Bernardino
Caregivers Accessing Justice Guardianship Program …$85,000
17. Legal Aid Society of San Diego, Inc.
Name/Gender Change Clinic ...$85,000
Unlawful Detainer Clinic Expansion Project ... $100,000
18. Legal Assistance for Seniors
Partnership to Assist Guardianship Litigants ...$58,000
19. Legal Services of Northern California
Mother Lode Pro Per Project (Amador, Calaveras, El Dorado, Placer) ... $85,000
Small Claims, Guardianship & Shriver Housing Self-Help Project (Yolo) ... $82,000
20. Los Angeles Center for Law and Justice
Family Law Information for Parents ... $90,000
21. Neighborhood Legal Services of Los Angeles County
Chatsworth Self-Help Legal Access Center Project …$100,000
Pasadena Unlawful Detainer Assistance Project ...$80,000
Shriver LA Self-Help Unlawful Detainer Clinic ... $140,000
22. Public Counsel
Guardianship Clinic (Los Angeles) ... $45,000
23. Public Law Center
Orange County Courthouse Guardianship Clinic ... $60,000
24. Riverside Legal Aid
Small Estates Assistance Program ... $90,000
25. San Diego Volunteer Lawyer Program
Central Division Restraining Order Clinic ... $100,000
26. Santa Clara University Alexander Law Center
Consumer Debt Clinic... $60,000
Total ... $2,575,000
See Attachment A, Equal Access Fund: Distribution of Funding for IOLTA-Formula Grants and
Partnership Grants under the Budget Act of 2018, for the text of the commission’s report and the
report’s attachments.