LSC Awards Vieth Grants to Support Leadership Initiatives in Civil Legal Aid

WASHINGTON – The Legal Services Corporation’s (LSC) G. Duane Vieth Leadership Development Program has awarded more than $48,000 in grants to five legal aid organizations. This competitive grant program, now in its fifth year, fosters leadership growth in the field of civil legal aid.

Generously funded by the Arnold & Porter Foundation, the Vieth Leadership Development Program awards professional development grants annually to leaders of LSC-funded legal aid organizations. Promoting entrepreneurial, business, and leadership skills among civil legal aid leaders is critical to expanding their organizations’ capacity to serve low-income Americans. The program is named in honor of Arnold & Porter’s longtime Managing Partner, the late G. Duane “Bud” Vieth, who led the firm for 22 years. Mr. Vieth died in 2018 at the age of 95.

“Leading a legal aid organization today is challenging. It requires a deep knowledge of client needs, integration with the community and with other services providers, fundraising capacity, management savvy, data management, entrepreneurship, and leadership skills,” said LSC President Jim Sandman, himself a former managing partner of Arnold & Porter. “I am grateful to the Arnold & Porter Foundation for helping us develop these talents among legal aid leaders. It is particularly appropriate that this grant program honors Bud Vieth, who was an extraordinary leader and a mentor to me.”

LSC selected these recipients from 18 applications:

California
Community Legal Aid SoCal
Community Legal Aid of Southern California received $8,537 to allow the program’s management team to participate in non-profit management coaching through the American Management Association.

Illinois
Legal Aid Chicago
Legal Aid Chicago received $9,750 to provide its executive team with training in non-profit management by The Bridgespan Group.

Missouri
Legal Aid of Western Missouri
Legal Aid of Western Missouri received $10,000 for 19 leaders to receive training from the University of Kansas to create a new supervisory structure.

Pennsylvania
Legal Aid of Southeastern Pennsylvania
Legal Aid of Southeastern Pennsylvania received $10,000 to provide leadership coaching for its new Executive Director from Catherine C. Carr Consulting.

Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico Legal Services
Puerto Rico Legal Services received $10,000 to provide management training for three senior managers through MSSS-Crestcom.

Legal Services Corporation (LSC) is an independent nonprofit established by Congress in 1974. For 50 years, LSC has provided financial support for civil legal aid to low-income Americans. The Corporation currently provides funding to 130 independent nonprofit legal aid programs in every state, the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories.  