• Register to Attend the National Rural Legal Services Conference on November 12, 2003 in Seattle, Washington

• California Legal Services Providers Launched www.LawHelpCalifornia.org, California's Statewide Website

• AARP, MIE, and LSC are Seeking Projects for Inclusion in the Innovations in Civil Legal Services workshop at the Annual NLADA Conference in Seattle, Washington on November 12-15
  

• Legal Aid Society of Mid-New York's "Language Assistance Policy for Limited English Proficient (LEP) Individuals and Individuals with Hearing or Visual Impairments"

The Legal Aid Society of Mid-New York (LASMNY) adopted the "Language Assistance Policy for Limited English Proficient (LEP) Individuals and Individuals with Hearing or Visual Impairments" to ensure that LASMNY's clients, irrespective of English language ability or hearing or visual impairments, can communicate with staff and receive high quality legal assistance. LASMNY's policy includes sections devoted to oral language interpretation as well as the translations of written materials. These sections detail the steps that will be taken to ensure clients can receive services through the use of interpreters and the protocols LASMNY will follow to notify clients about their right to receive materials and services in their own language.

• Minnesota Family Farm Law Project

Southern Minnesota Regional Legal Services (SMRLS) partnered with Farmers Legal Action Group, Mid-Minnesota Legal Assistance, and Legal Services of Northwest Minnesota to implement the Minnesota Family Farm Law Project (MFFLP) to provide legal services to low-income farmers who are faced with the prospect of losing their homestead. Minnesota Legal Services providers launched the MFFLP to mitigate the effects of the farm crisis by delivering legal services to low-income farmers throughout Minnesota.

• Justice Action Group Administrative Law Task Force's Project to Improve State Government Procedures Affecting Low-Income Mainers

The Justice Action Group (JAG), Maine's access to justice entity, established an Administrative Law Task Force to improve state government procedures affecting low-income people in Maine. Instead of critiquing state government procedures, JAG surveyed state agencies and identified state agency "best practices". At JAG's Access to Justice Conference in November 2002, the Task Force presented awards to state offices for the best web site, most responsive telephone services, and most user-friendly application process. The Task Force also prepared a report that was presented to the Governor, describing the kinds of practices and procedures that government agencies should adopt, based on principles of responsiveness, openness, and fairness. In response to this report, the Governor's Council encouraged the Task Force to develop training materials for state agencies.

• Legal Services of Greater Miami's Manual on "Recovering from Hurricanes and Other Natural Disasters"

Legal Services of Greater Miami prepared a manual to assist individuals recovering from hurricanes and other natural disasters. The manual is in a question/answer format and can be used to assist individuals after many natural disasters.

• How has your program assisted communities in the wake of a natural disaster? The LSC Resource Library is looking for projects and materials that could be replicated by other legal services programs. In each issue of eNews, we will identify an area that we feel would be beneficial for research due to a lack of accessible information.
  

• We encourage you to submit information about projects at your legal services program. Submitting projects to LRI is easy. Complete our submission form and an LSC staff member will contact you for additional information.
  

• We strongly encourage you to make suggestions to us for future areas of inquiry. The LRI team is more than willing to research projects that are of particular interest to the legal services community. Email suggestions to: LRI@lsc.gov.