Iowa Legal Aid Foundation

Legal aid programs in Iowa date back to 1951, when the Polk County Legal Aid Society was established through the efforts of the Community Foundation, the local Bar Association, and Drake University to provide services to low-income residents of Polk County. Free legal services for low-income people who cannot afford a private lawyer began in the 19th century through the pioneering work of volunteer lawyers and private charities. In 1922, there were 33 legal aid offices in the United States. The vast majority relied entirely on local charitable donations. organisations operating exclusively for the benefit and in liaison with the organisations described in points 10 to 16. 509(a)(3) (BMF Foundation Code: 17) Other Iowanians have contributed to legal services in national leadership positions. Among them are former Congressman Neal Smith, who served as chairman of the appropriations subcommittee responsible for funding legal aid, and George Wittgraf, a Cherokee attorney who served as president of the National Legal Services Corporation. Bruce Braley, a current member of the Iowa Congress, served on the board of directors of Iowa Legal Aid. Please let us know if any special service is needed to provide you with legal assistance.

Poor workers in Iowa find poverty worsening like a scourge, with its unique legal problems that not only rob families of their dignity, but also of any hope of breaking free from their cyclical grip. Legal services, while important to all members of the community, are especially important for low-income and elderly Iowanese who often need the help of a lawyer to meet their basic needs. the need to live in a safe and stable home free from violence, the need to protect against consumer fraud that preserves a family`s income, or the need for quality health care. The 1974 law establishes the company`s legal responsibility to «provide high-quality legal assistance to those who otherwise would not be able to afford adequate legal assistance.» This mandate is based on the Congressional decision that «all individuals, regardless of their financial situation, must have equal access to our country`s judicial system.» The Office of Program Delivery of the Legal Services Corporation (LSC) passed a resolution on July 24. until August 28, 2015 to visit Iowa Legal Aid (ILA). The program`s quality visits are designed to assess whether LSC Fellows provide eligible clients with the highest quality legal services. Read the findings of this report. Many well-known Iowans have dedicated part of their careers to legal aid, whether in Iowa or nationally. Among the most notable is Senator Tom Harkin, who began his legal career as legal counsel in Des Moines. Attorney General Tom Miller began his legal career as an attorney at Baltimore Legal Aid. These are just a few of the thousands of stories heard each year at Iowa Legal Aid.

They are typical of the legal problems that low-income Iowanese face in unique ways. In 1965, Congress passed legislation establishing the Office of Economic Opportunity (OEO). In Iowa, in addition to Polk County`s existing program, four new legal aid societies were established under the auspices of the OAS. They were located in Dubuque, Iowa City, Council Bluffs-Omaha and Waterloo. Each office, like the Polk County Legal Aid Society, was limited to representing low-income people who lived in the county where the office was located. Iowa Legal Aid is the national provider of free civil law services for low-income Iowans. The organization has supported Iowans in Need for more than 30 years and currently operates from 10 regional offices across the state, providing services in all 99 counties of Iowa. To apply for free legal aid from Iowa Legal Aid, call 1-800-532-1275 Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. or 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., except Thursday afternoons.

In February 1977, the Legal Services Corporation of Iowa (now known as Iowa Legal Aid) was formed by the merger of four separate existing legal advisory bodies in Dubuque, Waterloo, Iowa City and Council Bluffs. From 1977 to 1979, new offices were opened in Sioux City, Des Moines (southern Iowa), Mason City, Cedar Rapids, Ottumwa, Spencer, Creston, Fort Dodge and Decorah. For the first time, low-income Iwanese had access to a legal aid office in every corner of the state. Iowa Legal Aid provides hope, dignity, and justice to low-income Iowanians through legal aid and education that protects human rights, basic needs, and access to justice. challenges policies and practices that harm low-income people; and enables clients to effectively advocate for themselves and their communities. Both in Iowa and nationally, it became increasingly clear that structural change in legal advice would be necessary if the poor were to have truly equal access to justice. Accordingly, the American Bar Association, the National Bar Association, and the National Legal Aid and Defender Association encouraged Congress to form an independent national legal services society. A study conducted by the University of Iowa School of Social Work entitled «The Long-Term Impact of Civil Law Services on Abused Women» was conducted with the voluntary participation of some Iowa Legal Aid clients. The report concludes that civil legal aid for victims of intimate partner violence leads to more positive outcomes, including higher income and self-sufficiency and less reliance on public support. Iowa Legal Aid was born out of a need to provide quality legal services to low-income Iowanese.

Iowa Legal Aid is part of a national institution dedicated to providing legal aid to low-income individuals as well as others, including Iowan seniors, people with disabilities, or in an institution. While the relief expressed by this woman is typical of the impact of legal aid services on the lives of our clients, the impact does not stop there. To invest in Iowan is to invest in Iowa. When those approaching the periphery are moved to a safer place, these families can often escape the grip of poverty and contribute to the common good and economic health of the state. Those that could become an expense become an asset. And while no one has yet measured the value of protecting a child from an abusive home, no one has denied that value either. The extension of the right to legal aid for indigent litigants in civil matters is crucial to expand the limited availability of lawyers for legal services. In the interest of S.A.J.B., 679 N.W.2d 645 (Iowa 2004), a case of deprived parental rights, Iowa Legal Aid requested the appointment of an attorney for a client whose rights were removed. There is no legal right to legal assistance in private cases of dismissal. The application was based on the same grounds of protection and procedure. The court granted the request for an injunction and, for reasons of equal protection, ruled that the Iowa legal aid client was entitled to a court-appointed attorney.

Iowan`s sense of fair play and the promise of «equal justice before the law» require access to expert legal advice. People who do not have a lawyer must appear in court or try to protect their rights themselves. Iowa Legal Aid and pro bono lawyers provide essential legal assistance to low-income individuals with complex and common problems, helping the legal system function more efficiently and effectively. On average, Iowa Legal Aid can offer free legal advice or representation to a family for less than $500. This remarkable profitability is due to the provision of services by Iowa Legal Aid at a cost of less than $70 per hour. This compares to $140 per hour, which is the median hourly rate charged by private lawyers nationally, and is indicative of the leverage the organization provides to donors through its ability to deliver services effectively. In 1974, Congress passed the Legal Services Corporation Act (P.L. 93-355). At the federal level, the passage of this legislation eliminated the OPA`s legal services and placed them in the custody of an independent federal corporation modelled on COMSAT, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and other similar quasi-independent federal agencies. Several other officials and judges have worked for legal aid in Iowa, including former State Senator Keith Kreiman, who represented Senate District 47 in southern Iowa and worked for legal aid in Mason City and Sioux City, and Representative Kurt Swaim, who represents House District 94 in southern Iowa.

who worked for legal aid in Dubuque. Learn more about our history, respected Legal Services alumni and the impact we have. In our justice system, a low-income offender has free legal representation. Low-income victims of injustice in civil (non-criminal) matters have no legal recourse and often simply have to accept an unfair outcome. Iowa Legal Aid serves to redress this injustice by providing free civil representation through its employed attorneys and volunteer private lawyers. Iowa Legal Aid, as the leading provider of civil legal aid to low-income individuals, continues to receive broad support.