Title
Title
Equal Access Fund: Distribution of Funds for Partnership Grants and IOLTA-Formula Grants (Action Required)
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Summary
Summary
The Legal Services Trust Fund Commission of the State Bar reports in Equal Access Fund: Distribution of Funding for IOLTA-Formula Grants and Partnership Grants Under the Budget Act of 2016 that the Budget Act of 2016 includes an estimated $19,014,500 in the Equal Access Fund for distribution to legal services providers and support centers. Equal Access Fund monies are distributed primarily in two parts: IOLTA (Interest on Lawyer Trust Accounts)-formula grants and partnership grants (with a small amount also distributed for administration). The commission requests approval to distribute $17,312,500 in IOLTA-formula grants for fiscal year 2016-2017, according to the statutory formula in the state Budget Act, and $1,702,000 in partnership grants for 2017. 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 $17,312,500 in IOLTA-formula grants for 2016-2017 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 $1,702,000 in Equal Access Fund partnership grants for distribution 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:
Unlawful Detainer Mediation Project.......................................................................$12,000
Alameda County Family Law Day of Court Pilot Project......................................$65,000
2. Bay Area Legal Aid:
San Mateo County Consumer Debt Clinic..............................................................$60,000
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.................................................................................................$50,000
Tenant/Landlord Housing Law Clinic (Fresno)......................................................$41,000
6. Community Legal Services in East Palo Alto:
San Mateo County Unlawful Detainer Mandatory Settlement Conference............$50,000
7. East Bay Community Law Center:
Holistic Legal Assistance Project (Alameda) ...........................................................$80,000
8. Elder Law and Advocacy:
Imperial County Unlawful Detainer/Elder Abuse Restraining Order Self-Help
Clinic.........................................................................................................................$65,000
9. Family Violence Law Center:
Domestic Violence Pro Per Project (Alameda) ......................................................$25,000
10. Inland Counties Legal Services:
Family Law Self-Help Clinics (Talleres de derechos legales de familia)
(Riverside).................................................................................................................$82,000
11. Justice and Diversity Center:
Family Law Assisted Self-Help/Case Resolution (FLASH/CARE) Project
(San Francisco) .........................................................................................................$63,000
12. Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles:
Long Beach Self-Help Legal Access Center ..........................................................$80,000
13. Legal Aid Society of Orange County:
Consumer Debt Workshop (Norwalk, Los Angeles)..............................................$41,000
Estate Accounting Workshop and Clinic................................................................$38,000
Unlawful Detainer Clinic........................................................................................$50,000
14. Legal Aid Society of San Diego, Inc.:
Civil Harassment & Elder Abuse Restraining Order Program at the HOJ ...............$45,000
San Diego County Conservatorship Assistance Project ...........................................$40,000
15. Legal Assistance for Seniors:
Partnership to Assist Guardianship Litigants..........................................................$65,000
16. Legal Services of Northern California:
Mother Lode Pro Per Project (Amador, Calaveras, El Dorado, Placer) ...................$60,000
Elder Abuse Restraining Order Workshop Project in Sacramento County ............$32,000
Small Claims, Small Estates and Guardianship Clinic in Yolo County ...................$60,000
17. Neighborhood Legal Services of Los Angeles County:
Chatsworth Self Help Legal Access Center Project .................................................$80,000
Pasadena Unlawful Detainer Assistance Project ....................................................$82,000
18. Pro Bono Project Silicon Valley:
PBP Mediation, Negotiation, and Settlement Project...............................................$70,000
19. Public Counsel:
Pro Per Guardianship Clinic (Los Angeles)............................................................$60,000
20. Public Law Center:
Orange County Expanded Domestic Violence Assistance Project...........................$40,000
21. Riverside Legal Aid:
Small Estates Assistance Program..........................................................................$59,000
22. San Diego Volunteer Lawyer Program:
North County Civil Harassment/Unlawful Detainer Self-Help Clinic .....................$82,000
Total ........................................................................................................................$1,702,000