Legal Services of North Dakota receives $354,000 for pro bono initiative
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Kathryn Fanlund
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WASHINGTON—The Legal Services Corporation (LSC) is awarding $354,682 to Legal Services of North Dakota (LSND). The LSC Pro Bono Innovation Fund (PBIF) grant will enable the nonprofit legal services organization to strengthen efforts to engage volunteers in assisting low-income North Dakotans with their civil legal problems.
LSND will use the PBIF grant to establish the state’s first structured pro bono program, with courthouse-based eviction self-help clinics offering assistance from volunteer attorneys. Building on existing HUD Eviction Protection Grant Program infrastructure, including outreach and court navigation, the initiative will develop volunteer training, implement online scheduling tools and offer recurring clinic opportunities.
Volunteer attorneys will provide clients with brief legal advice and assistance preparing for eviction hearings. LSND will develop partnerships with courts and the University of North Dakota School of Law. The initiative will expand access to legal services and lay the foundation for future pro bono programs.
"We are grateful for Congress’s investment in pro bono legal services," said Jen Lee, Executive Director of LSND. "Volunteer attorneys are essential to helping us meet the legal needs of North Dakotans, and this funding will help us expand access to justice for people who might otherwise face serious legal challenges alone."
With limited capacity and resources, legal services organizations nationwide depend upon volunteers to expand the reach of legal assistance in their local communities. Low-income Americans do not receive any or enough legal help with 92% of their civil legal problems.
“When your home, health or family is in jeopardy, access to legal help should not depend upon your ability to pay for it,” said Ron Flagg, President of LSC. “Pro bono services amplify the impact that legal services organizations are able to have across the country for low-income Americans seeking justice.”
Since the PBIF grant program began in 2014, LSC has awarded 200 grants totaling more than $55 million. Funding for the PBIF program is included in LSC’s congressional appropriation.
More information about the Pro Bono Innovation Fund is available here.