LSC Awards Grant in Wyoming

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Washington, DC -- The Legal Services Corporation (LSC) has awarded a grant to a nonprofit legal services provider in Wyoming to ensure the delivery of civil legal assistance to low-income individuals and families across the state, LSC announced today.

LSC awarded a five-month grant to Legal Aid of Wyoming, Inc. (LAW), providing up to $302,055 for the delivery of civil legal services, according to a letter sent to the Wyoming program's board chairman by LSC President Helaine M. Barnett. The grant may be renewed into 2010 if special performance requirements are met by LAW.

During the next five months, LSC expects that LAW will work closely with the Wyoming Access to Justice Commission as LAW implements its legal services delivery activities. An immediate task will be to create a governing body that meets LSC regulatory requirements. The governing body must have at least one-third of the members who are client-eligible persons who meet the financial eligibility guidelines for civil legal assistance. At least 60 percent of board appointees must be lawyers, and the lawyers must reflect the diversity of the legal community and the population of the areas served by the program, according to the LSC letter.

The previous nonprofit program providing legal services in Wyoming relinquished its LSC grant in October 2008 after being cited for not adhering to LSC regulations and grant requirements. The LSC grant competition resulted in LAW being selected as the new provider.

LSC is the largest single source of funding for civil legal services in the nation, providing grants to 137 independent nonprofit legal aid programs. The nonprofit Corporation was created 35 years ago to promote equal access to justice and to ensure the provision of high-quality legal assistance to low-income persons.