Iowa Legal Aid Advisory Councils

Advisory Councils Each regional office of Iowa Legal Aid is

required to have a local Advisory Council Whether a special project will have an

Advisory Council is usually determined by the proposal to and contract with the funding source

Advisory councils play a critical role in the delivery of services by a regional office or an Iowa Legal Aid special project

AUTHORITY

Iowa Legal Aid’s Bylaws provide the structure for Advisory Councils and set forth their specific powers and duties

Powers and Duties Recommend policies, in close

consultation with the staff of its service area program, concerning the functioning of Iowa Legal Aid in that service area, with particular regard to eligibility standards, priorities for problems to be solved and methods of securing clients

Powers and Duties Participate in statewide priority

setting procedures

Make appropriate recommendations for policy changes to the Iowa Legal Aid Board of Directors 

Powers and Duties Assist staff in informing

prospective clients of Iowa Legal Aid’s services

Assist staff in securing volunteer personnel, both legal and non-legal, to assist and supplement the efforts of the staff

Powers and Duties Evaluate the operations of Iowa

Legal Aid in the service area of the regional office

Approve applications for local (service area) funding and offer advice regarding the expenditure of special project funds generated on the local level

Powers and Duties Provide appropriate support and assistance to obtain state, local and other public and private funding

Powers and Duties Select client representatives to

serve on Iowa Legal Aid’s Board of Directors

Perform such duties as are assigned to the Advisory Council by the Board

BYLAWS AND MEMBERSHIP Advisory councils are to adopt bylaws

governing their own structure and composition

LSC regulations regarding membership on recipients’ Boards of Directors are not applicable to local Advisory Councils

BYLAWS AND MEMBERSHIP Advisory councils can be composed

of attorneys and clients, as well as agency representatives, donors, funders or others.

Membership should be reflective of the client population and Iowa Legal Aid equal opportunity guidelines

BYLAWS AND MEMBERSHIP Membership should be sufficiently

large to be representative of the service area in the community in which the office operates

Membership should be small enough to ensure that the Advisory Council can effectively function and each representative can be made to feel a part of the group

ORGANIZATION The Advisory Council Bylaws should

address the officers, any standing committees, and the issue of quorum

The Advisory Council Bylaws may also limit terms of service on the council

ORGANIZATION The requirements for meeting can be

decided by the local Advisory Council, although meetings on a quarterly basis are encouraged

ORGANIZATION Some Advisory Councils meet by

telephone conference call, or allow those who are at some distance from the regional office to participate by telephone

At least one in-person meeting per year is encouraged to facilitate interaction among members 

ROLE OF ADVISORY COUNCIL The local Advisory Council is the best

barometer for how the regional office is being perceived in the community

ROLE OF ADVISORY COUNCIL The Advisory Council should assist in

educating the general community about the services available through the regional office as well as the role that access to the court system for vulnerable Iowans plays in addressing community concerns and priorities.

ROLE OF ADVISORY COUNCIL

The Advisory Council can be instrumental in promoting the Volunteer Lawyers Project. Through the efforts of Advisory Council members, additional attorneys can be recruited and input received from the local bar about the perception of referrals made through the Volunteer Lawyers Project.

ROLE OF ADVISORY COUNCIL

Advisory council members can be extremely helpful in setting up community legal education presentations and spreading the word about these events

FUNDRAISING Iowa Legal Aid’s Board of Directors has

delegated to local Advisory Councils the authority and responsibility for approving applications for funding that are to be used in that regional office service area

In administering local funds, the Advisory Council has additional responsibility to ensure that the requirements of local funding sources are met

FUNDRAISING Local Advisory Councils are important

to Iowa Legal Aid’s annual Campaign for Equal Justice

Advisory Councils may be asked to make contacts with prospective major donors, lapsed donors, or in other ways assist the Iowa Legal Aid Foundation with fundraising efforts that it is undertaking

FUNDRAISING Advisory Councils are to make contacts

with elected officials, seeking support for Iowa Legal Aid’s work at both the state and local levels

LSC restrictions prohibit use of program resources for grassroots lobbying

Activities of volunteers, including Advisory Council members, are not restricted by LSC so long as program resources are not used

FUNDRAISING The demonstration that the regional

office has volunteer and public support in the community can be vital to a successful budget presentation before the United Way or another funding source

TRAINING AND SUPPORT The Board and Advisory Council Resource

Center is a website that contains training resources and information pertinent to the duties and responsibilities of Iowa Legal Aid’s Board of Directors and local Advisory Councils - www.probono.net/iowa/board

All Advisory Council members should be enrolled to have access to the website which is password protected

CONCLUSION The Iowa Legal Aid Advisory Council fulfills a vital function in the operations of the regional office and an active and engaged Advisory Council is crucial to the office’s success