Stanardsville, VA (PRWEB) November 30, 2016
The American College of Bankruptcy (“the College”) and the American College of Bankruptcy Foundation (“the Foundation”) announced today that they have awarded 51 pro bono grants totaling nearly $468,000 to legal services organizations located in 20 different states, including the District of Columbia. The unrestricted grants are funded jointly by the College and its Foundation to grantees whose activities are consistent with the objectives of the College’s mission of funding organizations that provide assistance to groups and individuals in need of bankruptcy-related legal representation, training and/or education.
The grants issued in 2016 include the following:
Alameda County Bar Association Volunteer Legal Services Corporation
Oakland, CA
Bankruptcy Bar Foundation
Tamarac, FL
Birmingham Bar Volunteer Lawyers Program
Birmingham, AL
Brooklyn Legal Services Corporation A
Brooklyn, NY
Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Chicago
Chicago, IL
Chicago Volunteer Legal Services
Chicago, IL
Community Law Project
San Diego, CA
Connecticut Bar Association
New Britain, CT
Consumer Education and Training Services ("CENTS")
Seattle, WA
Dade Legal Aid-Put Something Back
Miami, FL
DC Bar Pro Bono Center
Washington, DC
Greater Dayton Volunteer Lawyers Project
Dayton, OH
Houston Volunteer Lawyers Program, Inc.
Houston, TX
Illinois Legal Aid Online
Chicago, IL
Legal Aid Foundation of Santa Barbara County
Santa Barbara, CA
Legal Aid of Northwest Texas
Ft. Worth, TX
Legal Aid of the Bluegrass
Covington, KY
Legal Aid of Western Missouri
Kansas City, MO
Legal Aid Services of Oklahoma, Inc.
Oklahoma City, OK
Legal Aid Society of Greater Cincinnati
Cincinnati, OH
Legal Aid Society of San Diego
San Diego, CA
Legal Assistance of Western New York, Inc.
Geneva, NY
Legal Services NYC
New York, NY
Legal Services of the Hudson Valley
White Plains, NY
Lone Star Legal Aid
Houston, TX
Louisiana Civil Justice Center
New Orleans, LA
Maryland Volunteer Lawyers Service
Baltimore, MD
Metroplex Military Charitable Trust
Dallas, TX
MFY Legal Services
New York, NY
Mid-Shore Pro Bono, Inc.
Easton, MD
Military Assistance Project
Philadelphia, PA
Montana Legal Services Association
Helena, MT
Neighborhood Legal Services of L.A. County
Glendale, CA
North Penn Legal Services
Bethlehem, PA
Ohio State Legal Services Association
Columbus, OH
Prairie State Legal Services, Inc.
Rockford, IL
Public Counsel
Los Angeles, CA
Public Law Center
Santa Ana, CA
Public Service Law Corporation
Riverside, CA
Queens Volunteer Lawyers Project
Jamaica, NY
Rutgers University School of Law – Camden & Newark
Camden, NJ and Newark, NJ
Southern University Law Center
Baton Rouge, LA
Texas RioGrande Legal Aid, Inc.
Weslaco, TX
Utah State Bar
Salt Lake City, UT
Veterans Legal Services
Boston, MA
Voluntary Legal Services Program of N. California, Inc.
Sacramento, CA
Volunteer Attorney Program
Duluth, MN
Volunteer Lawyer Project of Boston Bar Association
Boston, MA
Volunteer Lawyers for Justice, Inc.
Newark, NJ
Volunteer Lawyers Network
Minneapolis, MN
In addition, the College has selected its inaugural Michael L. Cook Extraordinary Grant recipient. The Michael L. Cook Extraordinary Grant was created in Mr. Cook’s honor in 2016 and is awarded to a legal services organization that offers an innovative and exemplary approach to a previously under-served area of need. A Fellow since 1997, Michael Cook served as Chair and President of the College and Chair of its Board of Regents during the period from 2010-2016, and as Chair of the Pro Bono Committee from 2008-2010. “During both his many years of exemplary service to the College and his long and distinguished career, Mike has been a tireless advocate, visionary leader and relentless fund-raiser on behalf of programs that provide pro bono legal services throughout the United States,” said G. Christopher Meyer, current College Chair. We proudly announce Veterans Legal Services as the 2016 Michael L. Cook Extraordinary Grant recipient.
Veterans Legal Services (VLS) promotes self-sufficiency, stability, and financial security for veterans through comprehensive and accessible legal services. VLS’s unique model of delivering services on-site at homeless shelters and service centers allows it to reach veterans who would otherwise go without the legal help they need. VLS services over 500 veterans’ cases per year.
The American College of Bankruptcy is an honorary association of bankruptcy and insolvency professionals. The Fellows of the College are selected for membership based on a proven record of the highest standards of professionalism and service to the profession, and include commercial and consumer bankruptcy attorneys, bankruptcy and other federal judges, bankruptcy trustees, United States Trustees and other federal officials, law school professors, and others involved in the bankruptcy and insolvency profession. The College offers unique and challenging educational programs and publications, maintains the National Bankruptcy Archives at the University of Pennsylvania School of Law, and is believed to be the single largest financial supporter of pro bono bankruptcy services in the United States. There are approximately 900 Fellows of the College. The American College of Bankruptcy Foundation is a Section 501(c)(3) charitable organization, supported by the College and by tax-deductible contributions from Fellows of the College and others. Additional information about the College and the Foundation is available at http://www.amercol.org.