Webinar | COVID-19: Impact of the Need for and Delivery of Legal Services

This webinar will address the ways in which COVID-19 is impacting the populations served by legal services organizations, and the legal aid organizations themselves. Additionally, we'll discuss legislation being considered to help highly impacted communities and opportunities for funders to support those most affected.

Key topics we will explore include:

● Legal Services Operations: How providers are changing day to day activities and delivery models

● How the use of pro bono is being impacted and adapted 

● Major issues areas: housing, employment, benefits, healthcare, immigration and more

● How the legal services disaster relief response is similar and different from what has been experienced when dealing with prior disasters, such as the immigration ban and wildfires

● Legislative actions that can mitigate the impact of COVID-19, such as moratoriums on evictions, stays on wage garnishment, alternatives to in person appearance for activities such as court appearances, welfare-to-work meetings and benefits approval

● How funders can respond and support the legal services community 

Main Presenter: Tiela Chalmers

Tiela is the Chief Executive Officer of the Alameda County Bar Association & Legal Access Alameda, CEO & General Counsel Oakland, CA. Tiela founded and leads the Disaster Legal Assistance Collaborative, a group of representatives from Alameda County Bar Association and Legal Access Alameda, the Bar Association of San Francisco’s SF-Marin Lawyer Referral and Information Service and the Justice & Diversity Center, Bay Area Legal Aid, Legal Aid Association of California, Pro Bono Net and the State Bar of California. She has been a leader in the fields of free legal services for low income communities for 20 years.

Contributors (developing): 

Liz Keith Liz Keith is Pro Bono Net's Program Director, where she has played a key role in Pro Bono Net’s program strategy for more than a decade. She joined Pro Bono Net as a LawHelp Circuit Rider, working with legal aid programs in 25 states to build online resources to increase access to legal help for vulnerable communities. As Program Director, Liz now manages strategic initiatives and programs that equip individuals and communities with new tools to tackle civil justice problems. Previously, Liz coordinated outreach efforts at the Maine Women’s Policy Center on legislation impacting women’s health, civil rights, economic security and freedom from violence, and worked to increase the number of women running for office.

Alan Kwok

Alan Kwok is NCG’s Director, Disaster Resilience. He brings to the role 18 years of experience in building resiliency through community healthcare, youth and workforce development, and disaster management. In this role he is charged with (or serves as the primary cheerleader for) opening opportunity for funders to build community disaster resilience, strengthen philanthropic responses to disasters locally and across California, enhance cross-sector coordination and collaboration between philanthropic organizations and partners, and improve organizational readiness among our three regional associations of grantmakers (Northern California Grantmakers, Southern California Grantmakers, and San Diego Grantmakers) as part of Philanthropy California so they can better serve our members in the event of a disaster.

Jim Sandman

Jim Sandman is the Chair of the ABA's newly formed Task Force on Legal Needs Arising Out of the 2020 Pandemic.  In response to the growing legal needs of ordinary Americans arising from the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, the American Bar Association has created a nationwide task force of volunteer lawyers and judges from across the legal profession. The task force will include up to 20 representatives from top legal organizations in the United States. The group will identify legal needs arising from the pandemic, make recommendations to address those needs and help mobilize volunteer lawyers and legal professionals for people who need help.

Jim was president of the Legal Services Corporation from 2011 to 2020, before serving as president emeritus. He practiced law with Arnold & Porter LLP for 30 years and served as the firm’s managing partner for a decade. He is also a past president of the 100,000-member District of Columbia Bar and a former general counsel for the District of Columbia Public Schools.

Casey Trupin

Casey Trupin is the director of the Raikes Foundation’s youth homelessness strategy, which supports efforts in Washington state as well as national approaches to ensure that all youth have a safe and stable place to live.Casey Trupin joined the Raikes Foundation in 2015. Prior to coming to the Foundation, Trupin was the Directing Attorney for the Children and Youth Project at Columbia Legal Services, where he engaged in litigation, legislative advocacy and other systemic initiatives to improve outcomes for children, youth and adults experiencing homelessness, as well as those in foster care and the justice system.