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USD Legal Clinics Receive Multiple Grant Awards

San Diego (November 22, 2012) — The University of San Diego (USD) School of Law's Legal Clinics have recently received several awards to support training, outreach and community assistance efforts. The clinics received funding from the State Bar of California's Legal Services Trust Fund: Equal Access Funds (EAF) and its Interest on Lawyers’ Trust Accounts (IOLTA) as well as from the U.S. Department of the Treasury for the Low Income Taxpayer Clinic.

The State Bar of California EAF awarded $72,435 to the clinics, supporting the training of upper division law students and services in the community. The Legal Services Trust Fund Program of the State Bar of California makes grants to nonprofit organizations that provide free civil legal services to low-income Californians. Funding will support an adjunct professor/attorney and a law clerk for the Civil Clinic, which serves underserved individuals who need legal assistance within a broad array of areas, including consumer issues. It also supports a Spanish language translator. Between one quarter and one third of all Legal Clinics clients are Spanish-speaking.

The clinics also received $53,087 for this fiscal year from the State Bar of California IOLTA. Funds will support the Small Claims Clinic, where upper division law students provide assistance to low-income individuals who are filing claims under $7,500. This clinic serves individuals who would have difficulty representing themselves in court. Funds will also support a portion of the assistant who covers the 50-100 phone calls the office receives each day.

"We are so pleased to have the ongoing support of these grants from the State Bar of California Trust Fund Foundation," said Margaret Dalton, Director of USD Legal Clinics. "Without this support, we could not continue to provide the breadth of services that we currently offer to the community."

Additionally, the U.S. Department of Treasury awarded $79,000 for the Low Income Taxpayer Clinic. This funding will provide $24,000 for an English as a second language outreach program and $55,000 for Controversy (legal cases). Grant goals include educating the public about tax laws; assisting clients who have valid tax disputes with the Internal Revenue Service; and reaching out to under served individuals who speak English as a second language.

The Clinics have also received confirmation that the USD LITC (Low Income Taxpayer Clinic, Federal Tax division) will be awarded funding for calendar year 2012. The amount of the funding is not known, but Congress will be making appropriation decisions early next year.