Nevada Legal Services Awarded $370,000 Grant to Improve Pro Bono Services
The Legal Services Corporation (LSC) is awarding a $377,782 Pro Bono Innovation Fund grant to Nevada Legal Services (NLS).
NLS is one of 15 legal aid organizations receiving a grant. In total, LSC is awarding $4.75 million to support the growth of pro bono legal services for low-income Americans.
Last year, 74% of low-income households faced at least one civil legal problem, according to LSC’s recently released Justice Gap report. Alarmingly, low-income Americans received no or insufficient legal help for 92% of their substantial civil legal problems. Expanding pro bono and other volunteer services will allow civil legal aid providers to better address these urgent, unmet needs.
“Meeting the vast legal needs of low-income Americans is a tough job for legal aid providers with limited resources,” said LSC President Ronald S. Flagg. “Engaging pro bono attorneys and volunteers adds a powerful network that multiplies the impact of these organizations.”
LSC awarded these grants from its Pro Bono Innovation Fund included in its FY 2022 congressional appropriation. Since 2014, LSC has awarded 121 grants totaling more than $35 million. Each organization’s project involves innovative solutions to persistent challenges in pro bono delivery systems that can be replicated by other service providers across the country.
NLS will use the grant to engage pro bono attorneys directly in the school setting at the Myrtle Tate Elementary School in Las Vegas. The goal of the program is to create an access point to NLS’ services for low-income clients in a community who would otherwise go unserved. The project seeks to engage attorneys from large firms and corporate legal departments in the Las Vegas Valley to advise parents of school children on various legal topics, including income and housing insecurity, dangerous or unhealthy living conditions, and custody instability.
Members of Nevada’s congressional delegation congratulated NLS on receiving the pro bono grant.
“This grant will be used by the attorneys at Nevada Legal Services, Inc to provide critical services for underserved populations who may not have access to attorneys or legal representatives. The funding will support a program that offers legal help to low-income parents with a range of issues, from income and housing insecurity to living conditions and custody instability. I’m glad Legal Services Corporation is providing this funding to help disadvantaged families in District One,” said Rep. Dina Titus (NV-1).
“These funds are well deserved by Nevada Legal Services, Inc., in recognition of their outstanding work to provide pro bono legal services to low-income Nevadans,” said Rep. Steven Horsford (NV-4). “Their innovative outreach efforts make sure they reach low-income clients in the community. Their work around income and housing, healthy living conditions and custody matters are vital to the working families they serve in the Las Vegas area.”
