IN Bar Foundation awards $3.6M in legal aid grants as LSC warns House proposal would have ‘devastating impact’ on legal aid
The Indiana Bar Foundation announced it has awarded $3.6 million for civil legal services to 13 organizations.
Indiana Legal Services Inc.
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Immigrants’ and Language Rights Center bridges language, cultural gaps to help clients
Comprised of a team of attorneys and paralegals, Indiana Legal Services’ Immigrants’ and Language Rights Center provides help to immigrants who are either primarily seeking asylum or have been victims of a crime.
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Web Exclusive: Indiana Legal Services wellness program finding success, gaining attention
What started as a short-term solution for improving employee mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic has now turned into a full-fledged initiative at Indiana Legal Services.
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Preparations underway to help renters caught in wave
In less than two weeks, the moratorium on evictions put in place by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is scheduled to end, and while some fear a wave of evictions will follow, others say the long-awaited day of reckoning needs to come.
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Moving on: Law firms follow through with office renovations despite new hybrid schedules
As employees trickle back into offices that have stood nearly skeletal for more than a year, many are left to wonder what work will look like in a post-pandemic society. Meanwhile, several Indiana law firms have followed through with plans to transition into new buildings — plans already set in motion before COVID-19 was a common term.
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Articles
Costs often vary for divorce cases: Some file pro se, others seek legal aid or private attorneys
There’s an emotional cost that comes with a divorce, but the process also involves dollars and cents.
Indiana Legal Services to receive $1M-plus boost in funding as demand continues to grow
Indiana Legal Services, a civil legal aid agency for low-income Hoosiers, will receive $9.24 million in federal money for 2023 — a 15% increase over its 2022 appropriation.
Legal aid receives major funding increase from Congress
Legal Services Corp., which supports legal aid organizations around the country including Indiana Legal Services, has received a $560 million appropriation from Congress — a 14.5% increase over last year’s $489 million and the largest percentage boost in funding since 1979.
ILS launches risk detection service: Tool aims to help more endangered seniors get help
If the pilot run was any indication, a new tool used by Indiana Legal Service’s Legal Assistance for Victimized Adults, or LAVA, Project could help more endangered and victimized Hoosier adults obtain legal assistance.
ILS project shifting to preventing homelessness: Expansion of veteran housing program gets to root causes
With federal and state grant money, Indiana Legal Services Corp. is expanding its assistance to focus on the root causes of housing loss so more low-income veterans can get help staying in their homes without having to wait for the eviction notice to arrive.
Ripple effect of evictions impacts more than tenants
As bad as the stigma may be, the ripple effect created by an eviction petition is much worse. The loss of a home can throw a displaced family into a downward spiral that leads to health problems, loss of employment and poor performance in school. All of this, in turn, harms the larger community.
National legal aid agency seeking more than $1 billion in federal funding
Citing the continuing need created by the COVID-19 public health emergency, the Legal Services Corp. is asking Congress for an appropriation of $1.26 billion for fiscal year 2023.
Komyatte, a founding father of ILS, remembered as ‘vital force’
Richard Peter Komyatte, who helped draft Indiana’s pro bono rule and was described as one of the founding fathers of Indiana Legal Services, died Feb. 13. He was 84.
Despite small number of applications, pro bono publico making a difference
As of Nov. 24, the Indiana Roll of Attorneys listed just eight pro bono publico attorneys active in the state. While the number of applications has been low so far, Indiana Office of Admissions & Continuing Education Executive Director Bradley Skolnik said he believes the rule change is still making a difference.
Programs work to advocate for seniors, endangered adults
As the age of the average Hoosier grows, so has the need for legal representation for vulnerable seniors and endangered adults in Indiana, according to experts.
IndyBar: Home Sweet Home: An Immediate Call Out for Advice-Only Legal Assistance in Response to the Eviction Crisis
Demand has increased for immediate pro bono volunteers to help with this eviction crisis.
Report shows despite increase in funding, LSC grantees not able to meet demand
A report analyzing the 2020 activities of Legal Services Corporation grantees, which includes Indiana Legal Services, shows that even as federal funding for legal aid has climbed to $440 million, the highest amount ever appropriated, the number of cases closed has slumped and more than 70% of the assistance offered is classified as “limited.”
Indy launches tenant advocate program as eviction moratorium ends
A new tenant advocate program will put a housing liaison in every small claims court in Marion County during an expected surge in evictions, Mayor Joe Hogsett’s administration announced Thursday.
Legislation approved that would grant LSC $600 million for legal aid
The Legal Services Corporation could get an additional $135 million in its pockets, the largest single increase in the legal aid organization’s history, following an approval of funding legislation by the House of Representatives Committee on Appropriations.
Judge reinstates enhanced payments to unemployed
Finding Indiana state law requires the state to accept the federally-funded enhanced unemployment benefits, a Marion County Court has granted plaintiffs’ request to require the state to resume $300 payments to Hoosiers who lost their jobs because of COVID-19.
Unemployed argue state must accept extra benefits
Unemployed Hoosiers are using what they believe is a mandate in Indiana law to challenge the state’s decision to end the federal extended unemployment benefits, possibly making them the first and only to file a lawsuit to have the extra assistance reinstated.
Legal aid group files lawsuit to keep enhanced jobless benefits flowing
Calling on Gov. Eric Holcomb to “follow the law,” Indiana Legal Services has filed a lawsuit asserting the decision to end the extended unemployment benefits violates a state statute that requires the state to procure all available federal unemployment compensation for Hoosiers.
LSC report spotlights need to help veterans
Military veterans often hear about how much their service is valued, but the transition from active duty to the civilian world is a difficult journey that can force them to face, alone, struggles with physical and mental health, endless bureaucracy and the nuances of living life out of uniform. Compounding the difficulties are the civil legal issues that burden many former service members.
Key funder of legal aid seeks $1B to address pandemic-induced needs
The request comes from Legal Services Corp., which provides the majority of Indiana Legal Services’ budget.