[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 25 (Tuesday, February 7, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 7224-7225]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-3040]
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LEGAL SERVICES CORPORATION
Funding Availability for Law School Civil Clinical Programs
AGENCY: Legal Services Corporation.
ACTION: Announcement of Requests for Proposals.
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SUMMARY: The Legal Services Corporation (LSC or Corporation) is
accepting applications for its twelfth consecutive Law School Civil
Clinical Program (LSCCP) grant competition. For academic year 1995-96,
Congress has appropriated $1.435 million for law school clinics. The
purpose of this grant competition is to expand relationships between
legal services programs and law schools in meeting the challenges of
equal access to justice.
All grants will be awarded pursuant to the authority conferred on
LSC by Sections 1006(a)(1)(B) and 1006(a)(3) of the Legal Services
Corporation Act of 1974, as amended (LSC Act). Grant funds for the
1995-96 LSCCP will be distributed on a one-time, non-recurring basis.
Grant awards will be made in amounts of up to $100,000; however, LSC
may consider larger grants under exceptional circumstances. Grant terms
will be for a period of one year and grant activities must commence by
September 30, 1995.
DATES: Grant proposals must be received by the Office of Program
Services by 5:00 p.m. (EST) on March 10, 1995.
ADDRESSES: Law School Civil Clinical Program, Office of Program
Services, Attention: Janice P. White, Legal Services Corporation, 750
First Street, NE, 11th Floor, Washington, DC 20002-4250.
FOR APPLICATIONS OR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Janice P. White,
Office of Program Services, (202) 336-8924.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Since 1984, the Corporation has conducted a
law school clinical grant competition. LSC believes that new and
innovative collaborative approaches must be developed to meet the
challenges of equal access to justice in the 1990's.
The broad goals of the 1995-96 LSCCP are to:
1. Increase collaboration between law schools and legal services
programs;
2. Encourage law schools to become more involved in addressing the
legal problems of the poor;
3. Develop among law students an awareness of legal issues
affecting low-income people and appropriate advocacy skills to address
those issues;
4. Encourage law students to pursue careers in legal services and
other public interest areas; and
5. Assist legal services programs, through summer fellowships, in
identifying potential legal services attorneys.
The 1995-96 LSCCP will be administered under two categories: (1)
Legal Services Summer Fellowships; and (2) Innovative Clinical
Programs.
Under the Legal Services Summer Fellowships category, law students
will be placed in a legal services program for a summer with
appropriate training and supervision, while also receiving academic
credit or fulfilling law school pro bono requirements. Special
consideration will be given to rural programs; programs serving an
underserved or special population; programs with a low number of
minority staff attorneys; programs that have an existing collaborative
effort with a local law school clinic; and programs that will develop a
collaborative relationship with local law school clinics, in
furtherance of the grant application. [[Page 7225]]
LSC recognizes that many ideas could improve the law school's
relationship with the legal services community, but may not fit in the
above category. Thus, under the Innovative Clinical Programs Category,
the Corporation encourages new and innovative approaches to legal
services delivery that are not currently being provided by law school
clinics or legal services programs. These innovative projects must show
a close collaboration between the law school clinic and the legal
services program. Such programs could be on either a local, state or
national level. In addition, under this category, LSC is soliciting
applications from law schools with an established mandatory pro bono
program or seeking a substantial expansion of its voluntary pro bono
program.
Eligibility: (1) All law schools and consortia of law schools that
are currently accredited by the American Bar Association or accredited
for purposes of bar admission by the state bar associations of the
states in which the law schools are located are eligible to apply; (2)
any LSC-funded legal services program is eligible to apply; and (3) any
501(c)(3) organization with the capability to oversee a summer
fellowship program is eligible to apply.
No 1995-96 LSCCP grant funds, in any category, may be used to fund
conferences or research projects. This limitation does not restrict
funds being used for research related to representation or advocacy on
behalf of eligible clients. The application should demonstrate that
existing law school or legal services program support for law school
clinical efforts will be continued, and that any LSC funds granted will
be used solely for new or expanded operations.
Awards Process
Grant proposals will be carefully evaluated by an advisory panel of
peer reviewers from the law school community, the legal services
community, the client community and LSC staff. Awards will be based on
the merit of the proposal and the extent to which it meets the goals of
the LSCCP. An applicant may submit a grant proposal for one category
only.
1. Proposed Collaboration
The applicant should detail the proposed working relationship
between the law school clinic and the legal services program that will
be involved in the project. If such collaboration is not an aspect of
the proposal, the applicant should detail the efforts that were made to
secure such collaboration and why they were unsuccessful.
2. Project Goals and Objectives
The applicant should set forth the project's goals and objectives,
which will be reviewed in terms of the quality of the proposed project,
evidence of the client need to be served, and the long-term benefits to
the organization and the legal services community.
3. Applicant's Capability to Accomplish Objectives
The applicant should detail its structure and staffing, past
history with similar activities, and other work on behalf of the low-
income individuals. Qualifications and experience of project
participants and staff should be disclosed. A timetable for
implementation of the project should also be included.
4. Community Involvement and Support
The applicant should state how the proposed activity will
complement existing legal services delivery provided in its area. The
extent to which a cooperative effort exists among law schools, legal
services programs, community groups, local courts, and bar associations
should be described. Current letters of support or other evidence of
support may be included with the proposal.
5. Project Feasibility
The applicant should address the reasonableness of the proposed
costs in terms of the benefits to be derived and the relationship to
the project's overall goals.
Dated: February 2, 1995.
Leslie Q. Russell,
Assistant to the Director, Office of Program Services.
[FR Doc. 95-3040 Filed 2-6-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7050-01-P
