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I am pleased to share our Summer 2006 eNewsletter, which features one of our newest and most exciting collaborative efforts.
EBCLC is the largest provider of free legal services to the poor in the East Bay and a nationally-recognized teaching clinic for law students. Each year more than 100 law students under the supervision of a dozen EBCLC attorneys serve over 4,000 low-income people with critical legal needs in the areas of housing, income, employment, health care, economic development and community reentry.
The impact of our work depends to a considerable extent on partnerships with scores of community-based organizations. Please read on for more details about our latest initiative with Children's Hospital, one of northern California's most important health care providers, as well as other recent developments.
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EBCLC and Children's Hospital Team Up to Address Health Disparities
After several years of discussion and months of planning, in June 2006 EBCLC will launch a new medical-legal collaborative with Children's Hospital & Research Center-Oakland (CHRCO). The Family Advocacy Project (FAP) builds on EBCLC's work of more than 15 years in the areas of HIV and health, and will provide comprehensive medical-legal services to CHRCO patients to improve health outcomes for low-income children and families in the East Bay. In particular, the FAP will help to address epidemic rates of childhood asthma, diabetes and obesity through carefully targeted legal intervention designed to complement medical care. Law students will begin working in the program this summer, and a full evaluative component will be established to measure outcomes and improve services.
The FAP is part of a national network called the Medical Legal Partnership for Children (MLPC) based in Boston. According to MLPC Founder and Advisory Board Chair Dr. Barry Zuckerman, "Our mission at Boston Medical Center has been to radically change health care for children in low income families by using the skills of lawyers to address the non-biologic factors that contribute to and exacerbate health problems. The Alameda County Family Advocacy Program is off to a great start and we will support these kinds of local initiatives in every way we can." The local collaborative has already received a generous seed grant from the Bernard E. and Alba Witkin Charitable Foundation.
Students, Students, Students!
We recently completed another great school year, with more than 60 Boalt students working at EBCLC for academic credit in one of five practice groups. Our Student Steering Committee was very active this year, organizing a series of panels at Boalt involving EBCLC staff, students, community partners and judges. We also celebrated our recent graduates with a 3L dinner in April graciously hosted by EBCLC alumna Ann O'Leary and Boalt Hall Professor Goodwin Liu.
In May, the law firm of Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, LLP hosted EBCLC's first-ever New York-area reception. More than a dozen alumni/ae heard updates about the EBCLC Building for Justice Campaign and our new Clean Slate Clinic. More importantly, they got to reconnect and share stories about their formative experiences in the clinic. It was amazing to hear about all of the good work they are doing, even if it's 3,000 miles from EBCLC!
Finally, we are looking forward to an exciting summer, with 16 law students from around the country descending on Berkeley for our ten-week program. In addition to seven Boalt students, the summer group includes law students from NYU, Hastings, USC, Davis, Boston College and the University of San Diego. We are grateful to the many law school and nonprofit resources available to support the work of our summer students. In particular, we are delighted to acknowledge a three-year commitment from Thelen Reid & Priest LLP to establish the TRP Summer Fellowship at EBCLC.
The Building for Justice Campaign
In April, EBCLC closed escrow on its new home. We held an informal house warming to infuse the space with the people (our human capital) that make EBCLC so strong.
We have several months of renovations and improvements ahead — and a building campaign to complete — but we owe an incredible debt of gratitude to the many individuals and institutions that have helped us to arrive at this incredible milestone.
In fact, we have now raised $2.75 million in gifts and pledges toward our $3.25 million Building for Justice Campaign goal. If you have not already pledged or donated to the campaign — or if you have ideas of others who you think would be interested — please contact Development Director Jon Marley.
We look forward to inviting you to an official ceremony this fall to celebrate our new digs!
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We are committed to advancing justice and expanding opportunity as we train the next generation of lawyers committed to social and economic justice. We are very grateful for the following recent gifts, which represent only a fraction of the many forms of support EBCLC receives each year:
- The second installment of a 3-year commitment of $750,000 in cy pres funds from the law firm of Alexander, Hawes & Audet LLP for a four-agency regional workers' rights collaborative. Please contact EBCLC Executive Director Jeff Selbin for opportunities to include the law center as a cy pres recipient.
- A two-year $100,000 commitment from the William & Inez Mabie Family Foundation to the Building Campaign.
- A one-time $100,000 gift from the Y & H Soda Foundation to the Building Campaign.
- Three-year general operating support commitments from the San Francisco Foundation ($45,000) and the VanLobenSels/RembeRock Foundation ($75,000).
- The third annual commitment of $38,000 from the San Francisco law firm of Shartsis Friese LLP to support a post-graduate Fellowship at EBCLC serving the needs of low-income Bay Area clients.
- A $35,000 matching Tax Day gift from the Kazan, McClain, Abrams, Fernandez, Lyons, Farrise & Greenwood Foundation, Inc.
With the help of our constituents, stakeholders and partners, we will remain on the forefront of innovative, effective advocacy on behalf of clients and communities in need. Of course, our success will not be possible without your continued help.
For more information, including ways to support EBCLC, please visit our website at www.ebclc.org.
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