LAAC coordinates groups of advocates that share common interests or do similar work. Most groups meet at least once a year and keep in touch throughout the year via phone calls and listservs. See below for ways to join LAAC-organized groups.
There are also many lists and groups managed by our partners for the larger community. We’ve included the most common ones below, along with ways to join. Please let us know if you have any additions or corrections.
LAAC lists and groups
Director of Litigation and Advocacy Section
LAAC’s Directors of Litigation and Advocacy (DoLA) Section listserv is used for sharing substantive legal information, continuing discussions from the in-person meetings, and coordinating statewide responses to recent developments and legislative issues. It is open to any Directors of Litigation, Advocacy, and Training, as well as Executive Directors or Directing/Managing Attorneys at programs that do not have a position with the title of Director of Litigation, Advocacy, or Training.
Contact Kasia at kmarkham@laaconline.org to join.
Support Center Section
LAAC’s Support Center Section includes California’s 21 Support Centers, organizations which provide support to legal services programs. This group has a listserv and meets by Zoom at least once per year.
Support Centers in California function as a vital network of programs providing technical assistance and substantive back-up to the direct services programs. Support Centers provide support service to legal services offices in the following areas: training, technical assistance, and advocacy. Please note that Support Centers provide supportive services to legal services organizations, which provide direct legal services to low-income and other underrepresented clients. Support Centers do not accept or respond to direct inquiries from individuals seeking legal assistance.
Contact Kasia at kmarkham@laaconline.org to join.
Family Law
The Family Law listserv allows advocates throughout the state to share issues of common concern, advocacy points, and questions about cases and case strategy. To join this listserv, you must work at a LAAC member organization.
Contact Kasia at kmarkham@laaconline.org to join.
Trainer Section
LAAC’s Trainer Section is a coordinating group for people who lead legal trainings, either to their own staff, to staff at other legal nonprofits, or to pro bono attorneys. The Section list is used for sharing information about MCLE requirements, sharing techniques and resources for leading and facilitating trainings, and creating and sharing best practices. It is open to any trainers at LAAC member organizations who train attorneys. The group meets regularly by Zoom and has an active email list.
Contact Kasia at kmarkham@laaconline.org to join.
CA Voices for Civil Justice
LAAC and the California Access to Justice Commission have teamed up to reactivate California Voices for Civil Justice, an initiative to coordinate messaging and communications strategies across California’s legal aid community. This group holds regular open meetings to discuss key strategies and issues like ethical storytelling and messaging to media, and maintains a listserv for legal aid communications staff across the state to share stories and strategies.
Contact Katy at kburnett@laaconline.org to join.
CA Legal Aid Technology Group
This group is designed so that staff at California Legal Aid organizations can communicate with staff at other organizations who are responsible for technology upkeep or decision-making regarding best practices, referrals for developers or other experts, troubleshooting problems, collaboration on regional or statewide projects, emerging technologies and issues, and more.
Visit the CALATG Google group page to join.
CA Legal Aid Policy Advocates
This group serves as a community space where policy advocates at legal aid organizations can connect and support each other’s work. Advocates use the group to seek support on legislative efforts, to share helpful information and intel, to seek strategic advice, and to collaborate on policy advocacy projects. This group is only for those who serve in a policy advocacy role within their legal aid organization and it not open to the broader community.
Contact Lorin at lkline@laaconline.org to join.
OneJustice lists and groups
OneJustice, as a support center, facilitates several lists to help our community connect with each other.
Bay Area and Beyond – Social Justice Executive Director Google Group
The Bay Area and Beyond Social Justice ED list is for executive directors who work at civil legal nonprofits here in California. The group meets by zoom once a quarter and uses the Google Group for sharing resources. It is only for those working in civil legal nonprofits, not the larger nonprofit community.
Contact Robert White at rwhite@one-justice.org to join.
Deputy and Organizational Management Directors Group
This is a group for senior leaders adjacent to the Executive Director or CEO role (such as Deputy Directors, Vice Presidents, or Chief Program/Financial Officers) at California nonprofit legal organizations. This list is a peer-to-peer support space to pose questions, ask for specific resources or templates, and share leadership insights. OneJustice hosts virtual meetings every other month to discuss management issues and provide an opportunity for group members to connect.
Contact Karin Wang at kwang@one-justice.org to join.
Fundraising and Development Professionals Group
OneJustice manages a listserv and quarterly zoom meetings of fundraising, development, and communications professionals at California legal services nonprofits.
Contact Zain Tewalthomas at ztewalthomas@one-justice.org to join.
Board Chair Group
This statewide listserv brings legal aid board chairs together to share challenges, exchange ideas, and explore solutions.
Contact Karin Wang at kwang@one-justice.org to join.
Human Resources Group
OneJustice manages a listserv of HR staff at California legal services nonprofits to share knowledge and best practices. HR staff at IOLTA programs interact with peers about structuring HR departments, exploring issues unique to HR in the legal services community, and discussing topics such as employee benefits, training, career management, conflict resolution, useful technologies, hiring, and any other appropriate areas.
Contact Phil Hwang at phwang@one-justice.org to join.
Other lists and groups run by Support Centers and the larger community
Disability and Language Justice – California
Disability and Language Justice California engages in collective advocacy to promote disability and language justice across California.
Contact Joann at JLee@lafla.org to join.
California Housing Advocates Listserv
The California Housing Advocates listserv is a list for general California housing discussions. It is run by Western Center on Law & Poverty.
Contact Jasmine Guerrero at jguerrero@wclp.org to join.
California Tenants in Foreclosure Listserv
This listserv brings together California attorneys and advocates who represent tenants in foreclosure situations, including post-foreclosure evictions. This listserv is a forum for members to post questions and answers relating to representing tenants in foreclosure in California and to share new developments in the issue area. This listserv is administered by the National Housing Law Project.
Contact Lisa Sitkin at lsitkin@nhlp.org to join.
Housing Justice Network
The National Housing Law Project’s HJN is an informal network of more than 700 experienced housing advocates and clients from throughout the country. It is your “ear to the ground” in identifying emerging issues and keeping abreast of proposed regulatory and legislative changes.
Visit http://www.nhlp.org/housingnetwork to join.
Impact Litigation Listserv
The Impact Fund operates this listserv for issues related to impact litigation.
Contact Teddy Basham-Witherington at twitherington@impactfund.org to join.
LSNTAP Listserv
The Legal Services National Technology Assistance Project operates a listserv for discussion of all things related to the use of technology in legal services.
Contact info@lsntap.org to join.
Management Information Exchange Listservs
MIE operates listservs to create a forum for the exchange of ideas and information among fundraisers, managers and administrators who work with programs that deliver legal assistance or legal information to the low-income community (including LSC-funded, IOLTA-funded, pro bono, protection and advocacy, and elderly legal services programs).
Contact staff@m-i-e.org to join.
National Consumer Law Center’s Consumer Advocates Listserv
This listserv is operated by the National Consumer Law Center for discussion of issues related to consumer protection and advocacy.
Visit nclc.org/listservs to join.
National Legal Aid & Defenders Association Listservs
The NLADA operates listservs on a variety of topics relevant to legal aid for its member organizations, including a list for litigation directors, race equity, and more.
Visit http://nladalistserv.org to join.
National LGBT Legal Aid Forum Listserv
The National LGBT Legal Aid Forum is a listserv dedicated to improving legal services for low-income LGBT clients. This listserv is a forum for members to post questions and answers related to serving LGBT clients, and to share resources and updates on new developments in LGBT-related law. This listserv is administered by California Rural Legal Assistance and the National Center for Lesbian Rights with guidance and support from a committee of attorneys from New York Legal Assistance Group, Lambda Legal and Legal Services of Northern California.
Visit http://www.nclrights.org/forms/national-lgbt-legal-aid-forum/to join.
California Welfare Advocates and Public Benefits Google Group
This group operated by the Coalition Of California Welfare Rights Organizations (CCWRO), is a confidential space to discuss any public benefits related issues. It is open to legal services attorneys and non-attorney advocates, and pro bono attorneys serving low-income clients.
Email Stephen Goldberg at stephen.goldberg@ccwro.org to join.