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LSC Sends Request for $486 million to Capitol Hill
05/16/2013

Legal Services CorporationThe Legal Service Corporation has submitted to Congress a request for $486 million for Fiscal Year 2014 to meet the overwhelming need for legal services and to fulfill the nation’s promise of “justice for all.”

This is an increase of $16 million over LSC’s FY 2013 appropriation request.  The increase is based on LSC’s assessment of the need for legal aid, the decline in some non-LSC funding sources, and LSC’s calculation of the resources necessary to provide the same level of service that LSC grantees provided in 2007, the year before the recession began. The request includes $5 million for a new grant program to encourage innovations in pro bono legal services.

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State of the Commonwealth's Courts 2013
05/10/2013

Judiciary is challenged by a lack of understanding about its role and by perennial financial shortfalls

A lack of understanding about the core role of the courts in American democracy along with financial shortfalls pose the two greatest challenges to courts, Chief Justice of Pennsylvania Ronald D. Castille said upon the release of the state Supreme Court’s annual State of the Commonwealth’s Courts report.

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Senior Health News - April 2013
05/10/2013

Pennsylvania Health Law Projecthe April 2013 edition of Senior Health News is now available from the Pennsylvania Health Law Project. For prior editions or more information about the Pennsylvania Health Law Project, please visit their website at www.phlp.org.

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PA Senate Judiciary Committee Holds Public Hearing on Civil Legal Representation of the Indigent
05/08/2013

The Pennsylvania Senate Judiciary Committee held a Public Hearing entitled, Civil Legal Representation of the Indigent: Have We Achieved Equal Access to Justice? on Tuesday, May 7, 2013 at 9:30 a.m. in Room 8E-B in the East Wing of the Capitol Building in Harrisburg.  Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Stewart J. Greenleaf (R-Montgomery, Bucks) chaired the hearing.

The purpose of the public hearing was to explore and create awareness of the current state and scope of the unmet need for civil legal services by low-income Pennsylvanians confronting legal problems involving basic human needs.

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IRS Seeking Applications for Volunteer Tax Assistance Program Grants
05/08/2013

The Internal Revenue Service is accepting applications for the Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE) and Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) grant programs, which will allow some organizations to apply for annual funding for up to three years.

Applications will be accepted only through Grants.gov until May 31, 2013.  Previous grant recipients will have the option to apply for up to three years of annual funding which would reduce the amount of paperwork they must complete over the three-year period. This annual funding will also help recipients with budget planning.

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Wendy Rhein Joins LSC Staff as Chief Development Officer
05/08/2013

Legal Services CorporationThe Legal Services Corporation (LSC) has announced that Wendy L. Rhein has joined its staff in the role of chief development officer. She will be responsible for providing strategic planning and management of LSC’s private fundraising efforts.

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Chief Justice Castille to Participate in 'Spring into Pro Bono Action' CLE Program
05/06/2013

Pennsylvania Bar Association - Your Other PartnerThe 2013 Pennsylvania Bar Association Pro Bono Conference, entitled Spring Into Pro Bono Action, will be held via simulcast around the state on May 14, 2013. 

Earn six continuing legal education credits during the statewide pro bono conference and CLE program, which is sponsored by the PBA Legal Services to the Public Committee and the Pennsylvania Bar Institute (PBI). 

Chief Justice of Pennsylvania Ronald D. Castille will be participating in the May 14 program which highlights ways lawyers can improve access to justice by rendering legal service for the public good. The program will be presented in live from Philadelphia and Mencnaicsburg, and simulcast to multiple locations around Pennsylvania.

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Applications Sought for PBA Bar Leadership Institute Class of 2013-2014
05/06/2013

Pennsylvania Bar Association - Your Other PartnerApplications are currently being accepted for Pennsylvania Bar Association members interested in being part of the Bar Leadership Institute program for the 2013-14 bar year.

The Bar Leadership Institute is designed to provide emerging leaders, representing a broad crosssection of the diversity of the PBA membership, with an opportunity to learn about the PBA while actively participating in key meetings.

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“Civil Justice Gap” Stories From Low-Income Citizens to Highlight Public Hearing of PA Senate Judiciary Committee May 7
05/03/2013

Low-income Pennsylvanians and the lawyers who help them will testify along with community and business leaders and judges at a Pennsylvania Senate Judiciary Committee Public Hearing, Civil Legal Representation of the Indigent: Have We Achieved Equal Access to Justice? on Tuesday, May 7, 2013 at 9:30 a.m. in Room 8E-B in the East Wing of the Capitol Building in Harrisburg.  Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Stewart J. Greenleaf (R-Montgomery, Bucks) will chair the hearing.

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Governor Corbett Nominates Beverly D. Mackereth as Secretary of Public Welfare
05/02/2013

Governor Tom Corbett has nominated Beverly D. Mackereth as Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare. Mackereth has been serving as Acting Secretary since February.

She will oversee the Department of Public Welfare, which employs approximately 16,000 workers and has a budget of more than $28 billion in state and federal dollars. The department provides services and supports to approximately 2.3 million vulnerable citizens in Pennsylvania.

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