Making the Case For Legal Aid and Its Economic Benefits
With IOLTA Revenues Down, Access-to-Justice Communities
Are Looking At New Revenue Streams

Legal aid not only helps individuals and families resolve their legal problems, it also boosts state and local economies. And that’s a story worth telling as programs seek to build support and increase resources in challenging times.

In recent months, The Resource has helped civil justice leaders in Pennsylvania, Missouri, Virginia and New York to make a compelling case for legal aid. This information is being used to support the argument that existing funding must be preserved and new funding must be found. We have helped to craft strong messages about the benefits that legal aid advocates produce for clients and communities. Then, we apply sophisticated analysis to produce compelling evidence that those benefits are indeed being delivered, with great potential to serve more people in need.

Click the links below to view samples of our work:

• Missouri: Report_Final_11-2-09.pdf

• Pennsylvania: Final_Report.pdf

Click the following link for information on this topic we presented at the 2009 NLADA Annual Conference in Denver:

NLADA_Annual_Conf_Nov_2009_Recap.htm

About The Resource for Great Programs

Now in our 26th year, The Resource for Great Programs is a consulting firm based in Michigan that assists civil legal aid programs and their funders across the nation.

Our services concentrate on points of leverage in our client organizations where small-dollar investments can deliver big gains in impact.

Our president Ken Smith, our IOLTA Project Manager Kelly Thayer, and the remainder of our staff are experts in data analysis, policy and demographic research, program evaluation, and leadership disciplines, supported by our main office in Traverse City, Michigan. In addition, we can extend our reach as needed via a growing network of other firms and consultants with whom we collaborate as opportunities arise for producing extraordinary outcomes for our clients.