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Dear EBCLC Friends and Supporters, |
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EXPANSION OF SERVICES |
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In August 2007, we launched the Community Legal Access Service Site (CLASS) at our first office at 3130 Shattuck Avenue. Directed by contract attorney Osha Neumann, with assistance from coordinator, Jen Neuber, and EBCLC staff attorney, Liam Galbreth, CLASS provides essential tools to enable community members to navigate the legal system, including computer stations, self-help materials, referral guides, and legal forms and instructions. CLASS’s daytime self-help center is staffed by Berkeley Law students supervised by EBCLC staff and volunteer attorneys, and it is open several mornings each week. Most evenings, CLASS hosts free legal workshops on topics including: Tenants’ Rights, Workers’ Rights, Health and Disability Law, and Criminal Citation Defense. If you are interested in volunteering at CLASS, please contact Osha Neumann at: osha@dsp.com or 510-644-2429. |
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EXPANSION OF CLINICAL PROGRAM |
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EBCLC continues to deepen and broaden its clinical program for Boalt students. Last April, we moved into a new facility which allows us to accept more students. Jeff Selbin has also assumed his faculty position at Boalt. In addition to his continued role in teaching the clinic companion course, he will teach an introductory poverty law course and an advanced research and writing seminar related to delivery of legal service to low-income clients. |
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PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS |
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Clean Slate Practice director Margaret Richardson, along with fellow Eliza Hersh, contract attorney, River Abeje, intake specialist Serena Rankin, and their wonderful students are serving hundreds of clients per month at our two court-based clinic sites in Oakland and Hayward. Their services help our community members overcome barriers to employment and meaningful community reentry. In addition, Margaret is currently planning the 3rd Annual Clean Slate Summit, cosponsored by U.S. Representative Barbara Lee, All of Us or None, Supervisor Keith Carson, and a number of other local officials. The Summit will be held 9 am – 4 pm on Saturday, November 3, at Berkeley High School. Community Economic Justice Practice director Margaretta Lin, fellow Vien Truong, and interns past and present, celebrate the settlement of the Pacific Renaissance Plaza case. After four years of litigation and negotiation, the property developer, the evicted tenants, the City of Oakland, and the community organizations involved reached a settlement that preserves existing, and provides additional, low-to-moderate income housing in the heart of Oakland’s Chinatown. This victory was driven by a coalition of housing advocates, including EBCLC, who will continue to work together to build on this model agreement and create a housing plan for Oakland that is responsive to the entire community’s needs. Health Practice director Sheila Hall and staff attorneys Liam Galbreth, Linda Tam, and Yvonne Troya, continue to serve low-income, HIV-positive clients throughout Alameda County, sustaining our critical Ryan White I funding for essential HIV/AIDS legal services, despite an overall decrease in federal HIV funding. The Medical-Legal Partnership program, under Sheila’s direction, also continues to flourish in response to the growing need for legal advocacy for families served at Children’s Hospital Oakland. In the Health and Immigration Project, after months of preparation, Linda and her students recently won two challenging asylum cases which allow a Zimbabwean mother and daughter and an indigenous Guatemalan man to remain in the US as legal, productive, permanent residents. The Health Practice continues to serve as a model for holistic service provision to low-income families. Housing The Housing Practice, with director Laura Lane, staff attorneys Jaimee Arnone Modica, Sharon Djemal, Luan Huynh, Marc Janowitz, and intake specialist Gracie Jones, continues to serve hundreds of clients each month at workshops and self-help clinics, and through direct representation. The practice recently co-counseled with tenants’ attorneys Robert Salinas and Jorge Aguilar to favorably settle a lawsuit against the Oakland Housing Authority, preserving housing for 19 families who faced wrongful evictions. Income Support Practice director, Ed Barnes, fellow, Keo Chea, and student interns, continue to serve CalWorks recipients who are facing reductions in their grants by the Social Service agency. The practice maintains a particular focus on service clients with language barriers, particularly in the Southeast Asian community. In addition, Ed and Keo continue to push for state-wide repeal of the law that excludes children born when a family is already on benefits from receiving additional aid. Finally, Ed is also spearheading the effort to block a reduction of General Assistance in Alameda County, a diminution of already meager cash and employment assistance that would be devastating to our client community. |
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20TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION |
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2008 will mark EBCLC’s 20th Anniversary, and we plan to celebrate! Please keep watch for a number of special events in the coming months, including receptions and speakers series. Also, please SAVE THE DATE! Thursday, September 18, 2008, we will hold our 20th Anniversary JUSTICE BALL, during Berkeley Law School’s (Boalt Hall’s) Alumni Weekend 2008! Stay tuned for more information. |
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INVEST IN EBCLC |
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EBCLC is recognized as one of the premier poverty law clinics in the country, having received local, state, and national
awards for its dual mission of teaching and service, and an emphasis on innovative, multidisciplinary practices driven
by community need.
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KEEP IN TOUCH |
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In order to improve our ability to communicate with EBCLC alums and friends, please send address
changes, news, or updates to Jon Marley, EBCLC Director of Development & Planning, at
marley@ebclc.org.
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