During December of 2000 and January of 2001, LSC sent mailings to LSC-funded program Executive Directors and state planning contact people throughout the country regarding an upcoming LSC-sponsored conference entitled "Creating Client-Centered State Communities of Justice" to be held in April, 2001. We plan to bring together active client/community advocates and legal services staff who embrace the concept of "client-centered legal services" and provide a forum for the exchange of ideas, thoughts, plans and strategies about how the legal services community can center its work in terms of what empowers, strengthens and enhances the lives of our clients.

The conference will be held at the beautiful and historic Hotel Hershey in Hershey, Pennsylvania (near Harrisburg) from Wednesday, April 25 through Saturday, April 28, 2001. Hershey is located 15 miles from Harrisburg International Airport and within easy driving distance from several major eastern U.S. cities.

This will be a working conference where active participation by all conferees will be necessary. Attendance will be limited and participation will be determined through a competitive process. A combined total of 50 active client/community advocates and legal services staff who are exemplars of the concept of "client-centered legal services" will be invited to attend.

Conference participants will be selected by a committee composed of LSC staff and the two client members of the LSC Board of Directors from nominees submitted by the state planning leaders in each state. Each state planning council or governing group has been asked to solicit and endorse applications from 2 or 3 applicants within their state. The deadline for submitting nominations was Wednesday, January 17.

We are continuing to ask for papers from the field programs and state communities of justice. We are looking for papers which may be shared with the conferees and/or serve as the basis for workshops to be conducted. The program consists of four divisions: Defining the Concept of Client-Centered Legal Services, Establishing Client-Centered Priorities, Client-Centered Delivery of Services and Creating Client-Centered State Communities of Justice. We are requesting that papers have as their main focus one of these broad topics while also discussing the components as detailed in the "Draft Agenda" section of the conference announcement which was previously sent.

Full details regarding the criteria for submitting papers is included on the enclosed "Call for Papers" document in the previous mailing. Papers must be submitted by February 21, 2001.

Again, the deadlines are as follows:

• Participant nomination – January 17, 2001 – Mailed or faxed to Randi Youells at LSC
• Papers for consideration – February 21, 2001 – via

Electronic submissions (MSWord or WordPerfect format) to rderzon@earthlink.net.  Please also mail a hard copy to the address below.

                   or

Diskette (with hard copy enclosed):

Regina Derzon, LSC Consultant
3320 Grass Hill Terrace
Falls Church, VA 22044

We look forward to receiving your nominations and papers.