Solicit law firm participation.
A legal aid office provides essential legal services to indigent, homeless, low-income, disadvantaged and abused individuals in a given community. Legal aid offices depend on grant funding, volunteer lawyers, law students, social workers and dedicated staff to meet the legal needs of the community. A legal aid office must be set up in accordance with state bar rules and regulations, federal and state business license requirements and areas of expertise. Legal aid offices require community outreach.
Instructions
1. Write a mission statement. Include the target community, the community need for legal aid services, the target population, the legal services provided, the financial eligibility requirements and individual demographics. Add a man goal or specific number of clients to be served annually.
2. Create a financial statement. A financial statement will include line item budgets and narrative descriptions of each line item. Start with a monthly budget for rents, utilities, advertising publications, printing, office supplies and more. Use a separate start-up budget for initial costs of office equipment, furniture, computers, printers and other expenses. Develop an annual budget and five-year financial plan.
3. Establish a federal 503(c) non-profit organization under the Internal Revenue Code section 501(c) 3. Complete articles of incorporation with pertinent business information and publish the articles. Submit the articles and publications to the federal government and pay the applicable fees. Obtain a federal tax identification number. File IRS form 1023 with the Internal Revenue Service.
4. Register as a state non-profit business. Check the business registration lists for name availability. Go to the Secretary of State website in the specific state. Apply for a state business license online. Pay the applicable fee. Anticipate annual renewable fees. Learn about local, state and federal licensing at sba.gov/content/search-business-licenses-and-permits.
5. Create a business portfolio. A business portfolio includes the mission statement, goals and objectives, financial statements, board of directors, professional resumes and experience, affiliated law firms, law school and volunteer lawyers. This portfolio supports funding applications.
6. Apply for government grants and solicit financial support. Search for available grants through federal and state websites. Start at grants.gov/ for general grant information. Go to sba.gov/ for small business administration loans and grants. Consider hiring a grant writer.
7. Find a temporary or permanent location. Order and organize desks, tables, chairs, computers, printers, book shelves, a resource center and office supplies. Install telephone lines for general inquiries and hotlines. Establish hotlines for housing issues, homeless concerns, elder abuse, domestic violence, civil and criminal matters.
8. Solicit law firms and legal organizations to participate. Send letters of introduction to local attorneys to invite participation. Ask for volunteer lawyers to commit to a specific number of cases in particular areas of law. Contact local law schools and set up volunteer programs for credit or work-study wages.
9. Hire staff and train volunteers to handle telephone inquiries and walk-in clients and to prepare documents. Set business hours, staff requirements and work schedules. Complete employment packages and background investigations for each paid or volunteer employee. Plan team work activities and ethics presentations.
10. Publicize the legal aid office's grand opening throughout the legal community. Use the business portfolio to create a press package. Send the press package out to the media. Post fliers at community centers. Fax fliers to courthouse managers, civil divisions and legal aid offices. Design a website. Open social media accounts.
Tags: business portfolio, legal office, legal services, volunteer lawyers, business license, computers printers, federal state