Board Development: The Legal Aid Context
CLAE will sponsor Board Development: The Legal Aid Context on Wednesday, November 10, 2010 at the law firm of Kilpatrick Stockton, LLP in Atlanta.
Click here to register online or to download registration information.
CLAE's new Board Development course reflects the specific context of civil legal aid practice – its unique mission and values, services provided, clients and communities served, and challenges faced – as well as the core principles underlying the governance sections within the ABA's Standards of Practice and LSC Performance Criteria.
Who should attend:
This training is geared for newer and more experienced board members and Executive Directors. Participants will explore fundamental principles and best practices of non-profit governance and leave with concrete plans for strengthening board practice back home.
Training goals:
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Clarify governing bodies’ roles and responsibilities;
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Strengthen the capacity of boards and board members to carry out those responsibilities;
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Build a greater sense of purpose and commitment within legal aid boards;
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Deepen board members’ understanding of and respect for the diverse experiences, perspectives and contributions of its various members; and,
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Increase the notion of partnership and shared leadership between legal aid providers and boards.
Meet the Faculty
Ellen Hemley brings close to 30 years of experience in the equal justice community to her role as CLAE's first Executive Director. Prior to launching CLAE, Ellen was Director of Training at the Massachusetts Law Reform Institute where, among other things, she oversaw CLAE’s predecessor, the Legal Services Training Consortium of New England. She also served for many years as an independent consultant working with scores of other legal aid networks, bar foundations and justice-related programs across the country. Read more...
Gerry Singsen is a legal services consultant and trainer. His clients are legal services program staffs, managements and boards of directors, and the Massachusetts Access to Justice Commission. He has written extensively on legal services goals, management, practice and regulation. He has delivered his training on “Financial Management in Legal Services” to more than a thousand legal services managers over the past 20 years, and has designed and delivered innovative training programs on productivity, board of directors responsibilities, the role of middle managers, leadership and many other topics. Read more..
Agenda
- Introduction & Context: Introduces the legal aid context & core values underlying the Board Development Training as well as the leadership dimension of governance that is reflected throughout.
- Board Roles & Responsibilities: Introduces roles and responsibilities of civil legal aid boards as a whole as well as roles and responsibilities of individual board members.
- Board-Staff Partnership: Examines respective roles and of the organization's board and staff, potential areas of confusion about these & areas that require strong board/staff partnership.
- Relationship to the Executive Director: Examines the board’s role in relation to the Chief Executive, specifically in terms of recruitment, hiring, support and evaluation.
- Case Studies and Problem-Solving: The Board's role in oversight, planning and fiscal management.
- Action Planning: Developing goals and action steps for creating stronger boards back home.