San Francisco — January 12, 2010 — The California Bar Foundation recently awarded 13 grants totaling $197,663 to organizations providing legal services and education across the state. Focusing predominantly on projects serving rural areas of the state, where the availability of legal services is limited, the grant awards reflect the continuing need to ensure that the justice system serves all Californians, especially in today's challenging economic environment.

"A properly functioning justice system requires that all people, regardless of race, location, or ability to pay, have access to the legal assistance they need," said Mario Camara, president of the Foundation's Board of Directors. "Aiming to make the greatest impact we can in the areas that need it most, we have directed much of our grant-making to innovative access to justice programs outside the state's major metropolitan areas, where community members are often geographically isolated and legal aid organizations face immense challenges in providing services. We are grateful for the tremendous financial support the Foundation has received from California's legal community - despite historic reductions in law firm and lawyer incomes - to enable us to fund these incredibly worthy programs."

The Foundation selected the Community Legal Program of the Family Resource Center of Truckee for its largest grant - $30,000 over two years - as a result of the program's unique role in the social service agency's holistic approach to addressing the needs of low-income community members. With no legal services agency within 75 miles, the Family Resource Center created the Community Legal Program to fill a critical void in the agency's ability to assist its clients. Staffed by a Spanish-speaking attorney, the program offers legal assistance in landlord-tenant, wage and employment, consumer rights, family law, and other issues.

"What makes the California Bar Foundation's grant-making so unique is its willingness to listen - and then respond - to the most pressing needs identified by the legal services community," said Julia Wilson, executive director of the Public Interest Clearinghouse and the Legal Aid Association of California. "It's been repeated many times that California faces a tremendous 'justice gap' - the gap between the need for legal services and the availability of those services - but the Foundation takes it one step further to address the most critical gaps within the system."

The Foundation's $24,163 grant to Legal Services of Northern California's (LSNC) Legal Information and Assistance Program highlights the effectiveness of collaborations between legal aid organizations and the courts. LSNC partners with the Superior Courts in five counties to offer assistance and information to pro per litigants through walk-in clinics. The Foundation recognizes the special challenges of serving clients with limited English proficiency with its $20,000 grant to Elder Law & Advocacy's Bilingual Initiative, which provides critical legal services to low-income senior citizens in rural San Diego County.

For a complete list of 2009-2010 grant recipients, please click here

The Foundation's latest round of grant awards supports projects to be carried out in 2010. Since the Foundation began its grants program in 1991, it has distributed nearly $5.2 million for law-related access to justice, education, and outreach projects to community organizations, legal aid agencies, courts, bar associations, and the State Bar of California.

About the California Bar Foundation The California Bar Foundation is committed to building a better justice system for all Californians. We champion full and equal access to the justice system, invest in the next generation of California's lawyers, educate Californians about their rights and responsibilities under the law, and promote philanthropy throughout the legal community. A nonprofit founded in 1990 and affiliated with the State Bar of California, the Foundation annually awards grants to California organizations conducting innovative law-related projects and scholarships to outstanding California law school students. For more information, please visit our website at www.calbarfoundation.org.

Media Contact:
Leslie Hatamiya
Executive Director
(415) 856-0780 ext. 303
lhatamiya@calbarfoundation.org