LOUISVILLE BAR FOUNDATION INC

Legal Aid Society - Food Justice Project: Legal Aid Society has a long tradition of serving the civil legal needs of low-income individuals and families in Metro Louisville. The Food Justice Project seeks to increase access to food benefits by removing the legal and administrative barriers to accessing these benefits. The FJP boosts the economic means of low-income citizens by ensuring equal and full access to SNAP benefits. The LBF grant will support outreach efforts to educate eligible participants on their right to these benefits and to assist participants in appealing any denials.

Legal Aid Society - Doctors & Lawyers for Kids: Doctors & Lawyers for Kids is a collaborative effort of the Legal Aid Society, LBA, U of L Pediatrics, and Family Health Centers that assists children from low-income families by training healthcare providers to recognize unmet legal needs that affect patient health and by having free legal services available to families in need. LBF funds will be used to support services to the Smoketown Family Wellness Center and other pediatric settings.

Catholic Charities of Louisville - Fee Waiver Program: Catholic Charities Immigration Legal services helps low-income refugees and immigrants living in Kentucky obtain legal assistance. The LBF grant will allow refugees and immigrants solve immigration and/or employment status issues so to achieve or maintain financial stability and economic independence.

Louisville Bar Association - New Lawyer Academy Scholarships: The Louisville Bar Association's New Lawyer Academy is a comprehensive six-month program designed for attorneys with up to three years of experience. This inaugural academy aims to equip new lawyers with the stills and knowledge necessary for a successful legal career. The curriculum covers a wide range of topics, addressing both professional and personal development needs. Career development is a key component, covering personal branding, mentoring, and partnership tracks. Ethical considerations, including confidentiality and pro bono work, are integrated into the curriculum. The New Lawyer Academy seeks to bridge the gap between law school education and realities of legal practice, setting new attorneys on a path to long-term career success. The grant from the LBF will fund scholarships for solo or small firm practitioners or others who otherwise cannot afford the full tuition.

CASA of the River Region - Advocacy Academy: CASA provides advocacy services to children with active cases in Family Court. To increase the number of volunteer advocates, CASA must continually train and provide education. The LBF grant will support CASA's Advocacy Academy program and increase its number of trainings to boost volunteer's advocacy skillset and the understanding of interrelated child welfare, justice and medical systems.

Kentucky Equal Justice Center - Legal Clinics for Tenant's Rights: As a poverty law research and advocacy center, Kentucky Equal Justice Center (KEJC) works with the regional legal aid programs and community partners to promote equal access to justice for all Kentuckians. Low-income residents often face housing instability because they lack information on legal protections and how to access legal services. KEJC will collaborate with Louisville community partners in offering monthly clinics educating tenants on issues related to maintenance of rental premises, illegal fees, unlawful rent increases, retaliation and other issues threatening tenant's housing stability. The LBF grant will support monthly clinics and related outreach materials.

La Casita Center - Legal Outreach and Clinic Services: In addition to the numerous social, nutritional, and cultural programs La Casita Center provides in the Latino immigrant community, it specifically conducts outreach to Latina women and families in need of legal services. Through its targeted outreach and legal clinics, participants receive help on understanding the legal system, immigration issues, family law matters and other legal problems. LBF funds will support the Center's targeted outreach to the Latino community and the development of a pro bono attorney panel to assit program participants in understanding legal problems and how to resolve them.

University of Louisville School of Law - Ackerson Law Clinic Mediation Program: The Ackerson Law Clinic at the University of Louisville's Brandeis School of Law offers students who have completed initial course requirements the opportunity for practical experiences by representing clients under the supervision of clinical instructors. The Medication Program allows students to apply their mediation skills to assist low-income clients on issues which traditionally complicate and delay judicial resolution of Family court disputes - custody, visitation, child support. LBF funds support this program designed to help the underserved population, to improve the efficiency of Family Courts, and to enhance the practical skills of law students.

International Rescue Committee (Louisville) - Legal Assistance Clinics for Refugees: The International Recue Committee provides opportunities for refugees, asylees, victims of human trafficking, survivors of torture and other immigrants to thrive in America. Refugees are required by law to apply for adjustment of status ("green card") after being present in the U.S. for one year. The paperwork is often complicated, and the refugees frequently require legal assistance. LBF funds will support regular workshops where pro bono attorneys will assist refugees in preparing the necessary paperwork to comply with the filing requirements.

Kentucky YMCA Youth Association - Civic and Leadership Development: Kentucky YMCA Youth Association's conferences bridge classroom civics education with the personal understanding of our state's branches of government. These experiential learning programs allow teens to meet their peers from throughout the state as they learn about the legislative process, understand the judicial and executive branches. The LBF grant will provide funds to make attendance and participation at these stateside conferences available to public school students in low-income communities which otherwise would not have access.

Louisville Bar Association - Summer Law Institute: The Summer Law Institute is a partnership of the LBA, the University of Louisville Brandeis School of Law and Bellarmine University. The program provides high school students with an opportunity to interact with prominent local attorneys, judges and professors. It is designed to attract talented, ambitious students who are interested in a career in the legal profession. LBF grant monies will cover a portion of the direct costs of the program, thereby keeping the tuition affordable.

New Americans Initiative - Universal Representation Clinic - New Americans Initiative is an organization focused on assisting eligible immigrants and refugees become naturalized citizens. Through a network of volunteer attorneys and law students, the organization offers legal clinics to identify pathways and processes by which eligible immigrants and refugees may seek family reunification, work status authorizations, and other benefits that will help them achieve stability as a naturalized citizen. The LBF grant will underwrite clinics in the Louisville region.

Women Make Moves - Film Project "The Dead Zone": Women Make Movies is a non-profit arts media organization currently producing a film, "The Dead Zone", examining the pretrial detention system in America. The film explores the experience of Duane Lake, now rebuilding his life in Louisville, who spent six years in pretrial detention - awaiting trial without counsel--before being found not guilty. The film offers solutions for a model pretrial detention system that safeguards personal liberty while honoring the role of detaining individuals who pose risks. LBF grant funding will support educational programming that engages non-profits, legal associations, and law schools in film screenings, and educational and community workshops on pretrial issues in Kentucky.

YMCA Safe Place - YNOW Mentoring Program: YMCA Safe Place focuses on breaking the generational cycle of incarceration by providing youth who have an incarcerated or substance dependent parent with a mentoring program that engages the youth with a one-on-one trusted adult. The mentoring program is designed to help the youth overcome those barriers to success that result from the loss of adult guidance and financial stability. LBF grant funds will support a focused mentoring program for youth impacted by parental substance abuse, overdose and death.

YouthBuild - Legal Assistance Case Management Services: YouthBuild helps young adults (18 - 24 years old), often with prior involvement with the court system, obtain GED's, secure employment and enroll in college or vocational programs. As a result of YouthBuild's intensive interventions and programming, only eleven percent of its participants re-offend, compared to national recidivism rates trends where over fifty percent generally re-offend. YouthBuild's case managers provide individualized support to participants to accomplish this success. LBF funds will assist case managers in identifying legal issues for participants and linking participants with legal resources to avoid and resolve issues that could lead to court involvement.

Children's Law Center - Holistic Education Law Program: CLC provides advocacy services on behalf on students in the educational setting. CLC staff and legal volunteers identify sources of education-related problems, work with the children and guardians, and engage school officials to address students' needs and monitor outcomes. LBF funds will support advocacy and problem-solving efforts from CLC to ensure that special-needs children get appropriate educational services, allowing them to make academic progress toward graduation and meaningful employment.

Fairness Education Fund - Name Change Clinics: The Fairness Education Fund initiates and develops projects that broaden community awareness and understanding of discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity and expression. With the assistance of volunteer attorneys who donate their time and services, the organization offers a Name Change Clinic for individuals to file the formal paperwork necessary for a court to approve a change in a person's legal name. The LBF grant will provide funds to the organization to assist applicants who lack the financial ability to pay the filing fee associated with he court process.

The Healing Place - Peer Mentor Program: Many of the clients who come to the Healing Place for addiction recovery are involved in Jefferson County's court system. The Peer Mentor Program at The Healing Place enlists men and women who have completed the program to serve as role models and mentors for those newer participants. These peer mentors provide one-on-one counseling and support. In particular, peer mentors help participants comply with court dates, court orders and other issues related to the justice system. LBF funds will support the Peer Mentor Program as it increases the changes of a participant's successful recovery and the efficient resolution of court issues.

Legal Aid Society - Greenwald Family Legal Aid Internship Program: The Greenwald Family Legal Aid Internship Fund at the LBF is a memorial fund to honor Murray J. Greenwald, Peggy Hirsch Greenwald, and Brooke Greenwald Cohen. Each year the Fund provides a stipend for a University of Louisville Brandeis School of Law student to work at the Legal Aid Society and to be educated on the practical aspects of the law. The goal of the internship is not only to provide needed support for the program, but is a meaningful way that the Greenwald family can pass on their passion for public service to the next generation of lawyers.