MALS Corner by Harrison D. McIver, III, Executive Director, Memphis Area Legal Services, Inc. 2011 Was The Best of Times; It Was The Worst of Times S


aying that 2011 was the best of times is unquestionably an overstatement, but at MALS we made the best of it, continuing to deliver high quality legal services to


our clients in spite of the financial cut backs and in spite of having lost 10.5 full time employees since 2010, and in spite of an eligible client community in our four county service area that has increased from 155,000 to over 200,000. Tey are largely women with children, the elderly, the disabled, and the underemployed and are indeed the most vulnerable members of our society. Our staff has adapted and worked tirelessly to meet the ever-growing need with very limited resources while not compromising the quality of legal assistance and representation. In 2011, a legal needs study was completed and funded


with grants from the Memphis Bar Foundation and Shelby County Government. Te study results helped us focus the more limited resources on the most critical needs of the eligible client population. Tey were the impetus of restructuring our client delivery approach. Additionally, we were successful in securing local foundation


funding to upgrade and revamp our overall technology. Consequently, we are able to replace 10 year-old technology, using grants of nearly $200,000 from the Community Foundation of Greater Memphis, the Assisi Foundation, and the Plough Foundation. Our staff of 17 lawyers, 5 paralegals and other professionals


has done a remarkable job in preserving the rights of the underserved. Representing largely women and children who are victims of domestic violence, preserving the lone assets of most people – their homes, fighting consumer fraud and non- mortgage predatory lending, avoiding senior abuse and assisting individuals and families, especially veterans, to receive benefits to which they are entitled, are illustrative of legal matters our dedicated staff battle each and every day. Expanded pro bono opportunities for attorneys and other legal professionals provide much needed services through extended client representation as well as legal clinics held at the Shelby County Court House (Tursday afternoons) and the Benjamin L. Hooks Library (2nd Saturday in each month). We thank each of you individually as well as your firms for participating in MALS’ Voluntary (Pro Bono) Projects. Trough the board development committee we identified new board members with the requisite skills and commitment


that complement our current board membership. Recently, Barbara Deans (State Government), Lori Turner-Wilson (Red Rover Sales & Marketing), Alison Smith (AutoZone), Aimee Williams (Porter- Leath) and Mary Wolff (Wolff Ardis) joined our board. Tey are energetic and willing to share and develop new ideas to move the organization forward. We have also strengthened our board oversight and fiscal review while updating overall strategic goals. MALS again received an “unqualified opinion” or “clean audit” for the 2011 fiscal year. Te 2012 Campaign for Equal Justice surpassed previous


campaigns goals, including the initial goal of 2011 of $325,000, to reach a new high of $350,000. For more details, please see Buck Lewis’ article in the previous edition of Memphis Lawyer. Te annual Honor Roll and a list of the firms and corporations contributing at the highest levels are published in this edition. We thank you and look forward to that list growing in 2012 and in future years. Kudos to Buck and the 2011 Cabinet for the hard work and many hours volunteered to help support the work of MALS. Moreover, we celebrated with three other non-profits


our graduation from the Program for Nonprofit Excellence (PNE), a three-year capacity building project, sponsored by the Alliance for Nonprofit Excellence (formerly the Grant Center). Every aspect of our operation, from board governance and performance, effectiveness of staff leadership and management, soundness of fiscal operations and service delivery structure to resource development, etc., was reviewed and consultative services made available to help achieve measurable and tangible improvements. With the training and mentoring received, we have the tools to be a more effective and productive resource to our clients and the community as a whole. Te “best of times” were achieved in one of the most


challenging periods since MALS was established more than four decades ago. While more and more citizens found themselves living at or below the poverty line, Congress and the White House agreed to 2011 and 2012 budgets that reduced funding to the Legal Services Corporation (LSC) by a whopping 19%. Tese cuts were passed on to local legal aid law firms; for MALS, that meant a $300,000 reduction in federal support annually. MALS receives over 40% of its budget from LSC. While the ostensible reason for reducing expenditures was arguably continued on page 12


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