FLORIDA STATE PLANNING PROCESS The first meeting of the Vision Committee was held on Wednesday, February 15, 2000 at the office of Bay Area Legal Services, Tampa, Florida. The following persons were present for the meeting: Robert Bertisch, Susan Christmas, Bonnie Cohen, Brenda Dotson, Paul Doyle, Chris Larson, Alison Thompson, Megan Wall, Richard Woltmann (Chair), Helen Neal-Pore. Richard Woltmann began the meeting with an overview of the State Planning Process. The Vision Committee's purpose is to develop a set of core values for the Florida Legal Services community and to develop a Vision Statement, both due by mid-May. The first session of the meeting focused on getting acquainted with one another with an icebreaker exercise in which each member interviewed another member as to the values that lead her or him into legal services and why he or she stayed in legal services. The afternoon session was devoted to the development through small group exercises of three to five core values for the legal services community. The collaborative efforts produced not three to five proposed values but nine to ten proposed values. Due to lack of time to continue the discussion that day, a subcommittee of three was appointed to prepare a draft of the statement of core values based on the work done at the meeting. The three persons were Chris Larson (Chair), Alison Thompson and Megan Wall. At the next meeting the Vision Committee will consider the statement of core values drafted by the subcommittee and begin to draft a vision statement. The Committee agreed to meet again on March 15, 2000 at the Tampa International Airport. The meeting ended approximately 2:30 PM.
Minutes Dick opened the meeting by reviewing the agenda and the desired outcomes for the meeting. At the February meeting, all committee members related their reasons for joining (and staying in) legal services. The exercise was to help identify some of the core values of legal services. At the February meeting, Paul noted that committee members should also contact new staff to understand their reasons for joining legal services (the committee is made up of veterans). Committee members contacted new staff at their programs and at today's meetings conveyed to the committee the reasons given by new staff for joining legal services. Next the committee extensively discussed the Proposed Statement of Core Values drafted by Chris Larson and the drafting committee (see Attachment A). The committee agreed on revisions to the Proposed Statement and agreed on the allocation of responsibilities for those revisions as set out in Dick's memo of March 17th (See Attachment B). Finally, the committee undertook an exercise to envision the future by suggesting answers to the following questions: (1. What are our clients and former clients saying about us? (2. What service are we providing and to whom? (3. Where and how are we providing services to clients? (4. Where does our funding and other support come from? (5. Legal services employees could not be happier and more committee. What are they saying about working for legal services in Florida? (6. What are bar, community leaders, and the media saying about us? (7. What are other groups and organizations that help our clients saying about us? Two drafting committees were created to consider the responses given to those questions (See Attachment C). One committee is to draft a long version of the vision statement (Bonnie, Bob, and Helen). The other committee is to draft a short and pithy version of the vision statement (Paul, Dick). The committee agreed the next Vision Committee meeting would take place on April 27th in the Florida Bar Offices at Tampa International Airport from 11:00-2:30.
CORE VALUES OF LEGAL SERVICES OF
FLORIDA CLIENT-CENTERED SERVICES - We involve our clients as full participants in resolving their legal problems, and we treat them with dignity and respect in a pleasant manner. STRONG WORK ETHIC - We work hard on behalf of our clients in order to help them reach their desired goals, and we stay involved with and informed about our client communities. COMMITMENT TO EXCELLENCE - We provide high quality legal representation in all matters whether they be routine or unique, recognizing that this requires constant self improvement and education. EMPOWERMENT - We seek creative solutions that empower our clients, with the goal that they will be able to break the cycle of poverty and improve the quality of their lives. APPRECIATION OF DIVERSITY AND FAIRNESS - We hold a passionate belief in the beauty of human diversity and the importance of treating clients, co-workers and others in a spirit of fairness and equality. Attachment "B" TO: VISION COMMITTEE I am writing to set out the agreements made at the March 15th meeting and agreements as to who would do what in drafting proposed Core Values changes and the Vision Statements (long and short versions). Statement of Core Values: Client Centered Services – We agreed to change the following to read, "we involve our clients as full participants in resolving their legal problems, and we treat them with dignity and respect; our program systems will reflect this commitment." Commitment of Excellence – We agreed to delete the word "all" before matters and insert "civil legal" in its place. ALISON agreed to draft language concerning the full range of strategies to insert under this core value. Equal Access to Justice – BOB agreed to draft language regarding local priority setting and not excluding segments of the client community to insert under this core value. We agreed to add two additional core values: Innovation and Evaluation – PAUL will draft proposed language. Collaboration and Partnerships – DICK will draft proposed language. We agreed to consider adding pro bono as a core value. PAT will draft proposed language. Vision Statement: Long Version: BONNIE (Chair), BOB, and HELEN will draft a proposed long version of a vision statement based on the visioning exercises completed at the meeting. Short Version: PAUL (Chair) and DICK will draft a proposed short and pithy version. If I forgot something, please let me know. Those who are drafting, please fax or email me your suggested language by April 17th so I can forward to the committee well before the next meeting. Also, we agreed that the next Vision Committee meeting will take place on April 27, 2000 in the Florida Bar offices at the Tampa International Airport from 11:00 – 2:30. VISION COMMITTEE Dick: Here's the lists: Where/How are we providing services to clients? 1.Strong presence in the community 2.County offices, senior centers, home visits 3.After traditional hours 4.Hotlines 5.At Courtlines(?) 6.Via internet/computers 7.Collaborative partnerships with other programs 8.Collaboration with other non traditional sources (i.e. military, etc.) 9.KICK BUTT!!! Where does funding come from? 1.State funding 2.All existing sources 3.Philanthropic gifts 4.Special taxes What are the 0ther organizations saying about us? 1.They really fix our client's problems 2.They do a good job with legal education 4.They return calls 5.They treat our staff, clients with respect. 6.They accept our referrals. 7. "You don't want to make them mad." Employees couldn't be happier/more committed. What are they saying about working for Legal Services? 1.Adequate training and support to do the job. 2.Adequate salaries and benefits. 3.Loan forgiveness 4.At the end of the day "I made a difference in someone's life." 5.Risk taking/new ideas are encouraged 6."Real world" views me as a first class attorney/peer. 7.We're treated as professionals/valued in our own program. 8.Emphasis on results as opposed to paper requirements 9.I'm not a bureaucrat anymore. 10.Job security 11.Expressed value of a component 12.Impact on positive social change What are the Bar,Community leaders and the Media saying about us? 1."I don't always agree with them, but I respect what they do." 2.They are a necessary/vital resource in the community. 3.They are making a real differences in their client's ;lives. 4.When I know of a problem affecting poor people, I go to them 5.They do an amazing job with limited resources. 6.They provide first class representation. 7.They're the best! 8.Congress should get off their back. What are clients/former clients saying about us? 1.My life has been changed. 2.Really good lawyer, go to legal services 3.My attorney empowered me. 4.Services were accessible/listened to me. 5.Staff very professional/cared about me. 6.I didn't get the run around. 7.My attorney kept me informed. 8.Income was not the driving force for representation 9.I was treated with dignity 10.I was given copies of everything. 11.Communication was at a level I could understand 12.Program went the extra mile on my case. What legal services are we providing and to whom? 1.Aliens 2.Seniors 3.Institutionalized 4.Children 5.Abused victims 6.Disabled 7.Working poor 8.Neighborhood groups 9.Person who can't afford attorney/over our range. 10.Employment related representation 11.Non profits serving our clientele 12.Class actions 13.Full range strategies Bob and I came up with the following vision statement. Is this what you had in mind or are we totally off base? Legal services in the state of Florida is a network of organizations committed to the principle that equal access to justice is a basic human right. Through the use of a combination of legal services, legal aids and pro bono programs, we provide comprehensive legal strategies to serve the civil legal needs of the indigent population of Florida. As a result of our efforts, disadvantaged children, families and older citizens have access to high quality legal representation in all legal forums throughout the state. We seek creative solutions that empower our diverse client community. Our clients are involved as full participants in resolving their legal problems and they are treated with dignity and respect. We value collaborations with other community based organizations in order to break the cycle of poverty and improve the quality of our client's lives. Both the staff and members of the boards of directors of legal service providers in Florida believe in the fundamental right of all persons, rich or poor, to equal access to the judicial system, whether their cases be simple or complex. Our staff is comprised of skilled, dedicated professionals who care about their clients and are continually seeking ways to better serve the low income community. Let me know what you think. Bonnie RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE VISION COMMITTEE 1. Purpose: To develop a Statement of Core Values and a Vision Statement that describe the values and principles upon which the Florida State Plan to improve energetic client advocacy is based. 2. Names and Affiliations of Vision Committee Members: Name: Email Address: Program: Allison Thompson trls@fdt.net Three Rivers Legal
Services 3. General Description of the Work of Group: The Vision Committee dealt with the problem that the Florida legal services delivery system as a whole had not developed a Statement of Core Values or a Vision Statement. The committees reviewed various materials (see Attachment D) and extensively discussed the following: (a.) The reasons committee members and other legal
services employees join and stay in legal services. (b.) The core values of legal
services. Based on those discussions and based on the consideration of various drafts of suggested language, the committee adopted the Statement of Core Values, and the long and short versions of a vision statement set out as below. 1. Statement of Core Values (Attachment A). ATTACHMENT A CORE VALUES OF LEGAL SERVICES OF FLORIDA CLIENT-CENTERED SERVICES We involve our clients as full participants in resolving their legal problems, and we treat them with dignity and respect. Our program systems will reflect this commitment. EMPOWERMENT We seek creative solutions that empower our clients, with the goal that they will be able to break the cycle of poverty and improve the quality of their lives. EQUAL ACCESS TO JUSTICE We believe in the fundamental right of all persons, rich or poor, to have equal access to our judicial system, whether their legal matter is simple or complex. We believe no person should be denied access to justice because of the controversial or unpopular nature of his or her cause. In setting priorities for legal assistance, we shall encourage the communities we serve to collaborate with us in identifying those legal issues most important to its citizens periodically. CLIENT ACCESS TO SERVICE We must continually explore and implement improvements to our outreach and intake to ensure our clients, particularly including difficult to reach clients such as farmworkers, aliens, the elderly, children, the disabled, non-English speaking persons, the incarcerated, and the institutionalized, have access to legal services. APPRECIATION OF DIVERSITY AND FAIRNESS We hold a passionate belief in the beauty of human diversity and the importance of treating clients, co-workers and others in a spirit of fairness and equality. COMMITMENT TO EXCELLENCE We value high quality legal representation in civil legal matters whether they are routine or unique, recognizing that this requires constant self-improvement. We believe in the provision of a full range of legal strategies including legislative, administrative and policy advocacy, litigation (including class actions), community economic development and community legal education to meet the needs of clients. PROGRAM STAFFING We are dedicated to the recruitment and retention of outstanding advocates and staff. STRONG WORK ETHIC We work hard on behalf of our clients in order to help them reach their desired goals, and we stay involved with and informed about our client communities. INNOVATION We and our clients benefit from the development and evaluation of innovations that seek to expand and improve legal assistance and its availability. COLLABORATIONS AND PARTNERSHIPS We strive to build productive partnerships within the legal community and "beyond the walls" of the legal community to best serve our clients and to build a viable and relevant legal services delivery system of the future. PRO BONO We believe that pro bono support constitutes an integral and significant part of the legal services delivery system which allows us to expand our reach and accomplish more than could possibly be done without this support. EVALUATION We can improve and expand client services and enhance our work environments with the benefit of ongoing, open, constructive, and professional internal (self) and external assessments of individual programs and the state legal services delivery system. ATTACHMENT B VISION STATEMENT – LONG VERSION Legal services in the State of Florida is a network of organizations committed to the principle that low income people need client centered energetic and affirmative advocacy to assist them with the important legal issues that they face and that access to justice is a basic human right. Through the use of a combination of legal assistance programs, we provide comprehensive legal services and strategies to address the civil legal needs of the indigent population of Florida. We seek creative solutions that empower our diverse client community. We strive to involve our clients as full participants in resolving their legal problems, treating them with dignity and respect. We value collaborations with other community organizations in order to break the cycle of poverty and improve the quality of our clients' lives. We believe that our clients' legal problems, whether simple or complex, require access to skilled advocates who are sensitive to client needs and who are able to address the critical issues faced by low income people. ATTACHMENT C VISION STATEMENT – SHORT VERSION (TWO OPTIONS) The Florida legal services delivery system: 1. Protects low-income persons from abuse and injustice in civil legal matters. 2. Reaches out to low income individuals or communities to empower them through education, to protect them against abuse and injustice through representation, and to promote their fair and equal treatment through advocacy. ATTACHMENT D REFERENCE MATERIALS Materials on Values and Vision: Ellen Hemley, consulting and training for Non-Profits. Values of New Hampshire Legal Services Community. Guiding Principles of New Hampshire Legal Services Community. Synopsis of Florida Bar Report: "What do Clients Want (The Clients Answer)." Mission Statements of Legal Services of New Jersey. Excerpts from the "Drucker Foundation News." Articles from a MIE Journal, "A Legal Services Program for the Millennium Today." Focus Group Update: Equal Justice Institute Advisory Group for Legal Assistance Message Development. Visioning Materials: The Business Performance Group. Questionnaire Responses to reasons legal services staff choose to work in legal services: New England Regional Training Consortium. |