State Planning

The Oversight Committee has released its State Plan for comments. To view the plan, click here. Adobe Acrobat Reader is required to view the plan. If you need it, get it here. Please direct any comments to the State Planning Oversight Committee, c/o Camille Stawicki, The Florida Bar Foundation, 109 East Church Street, Suite 405, Orlando, FL 32801 or you can e-mail Ms. Stawicki.

Florida's planning process will consider a variety of areas for potential improvement of the state legal services delivery system. In February of 1999, the Florida Project Directors met and decided to undertake major initiatives to improve statewide fundraising and to improve statewide client-centered energetic affirmative advocacy. As part of the initiative, a statewide survey of field programs (in PDF format -- Adobe Acrobat required) focusing on client-centered advocacy was conducted. Recently the LSC granted the Florida Bar Foundation $10,000 to convene and manage the Florida State Planning process. The Florida Bar Foundation and the Florida Project Directors' Association each agreed to contribute an additional $5,000.

The structure and leadership of Florida's state planning process is set out on the State Planning Structure and Leadership Chart. The key stakeholders in Florida, the Florida Bar Foundation, the Project Directors' Association (with 12 LSC and 11 non-LSC funded programs), and Florida Legal Services have agreed upon the structure, leadership, and process for the planning.

The Oversight Committee will have broad oversight, assure accountability, approve a timeline, seek input from a broad array of stakeholders, and approve the final state plan. The Oversight committee members represent the Board of The Florida Bar Foundation, the Board of Governors of The Florida Bar, the statewide Standing Committee on Pro Bono Legal Services, the Judiciary, the client community, the PDA and FLS.

Action committees to promote and support energetic and affirmative client advocacy will study the problems and opportunities in the main areas of inquiry developed by the client advocacy committee's survey and at the Florida Project Directors Association retreat. The committees are:

Resource Development, Vision, Technology, Legislative/Administrative Advocacy, Client Access, Collaboration, and Training and Technical Assistance.

The LSC state planning response letter noted some particular areas for further consideration. The action committees will address LSC's areas of concern as follows:

(1.) Need for Measurable Goals: all action committees will develop measurable goals with estimated dates of completion.

(2.) Configuration: The Vision Committee will undertake a preliminary review of configuration but configuration will be considered by the Coordinating Committee as a whole taking into consideration all of the recommendations of the working committees.

(3.) Centralized Intake Systems: The Client Access Committee will consider this issue.

(4.) Statewide Community Education: The Client Access Committee will consider this issue.

(5.) Legal Services Needs: The Client Access Committee will consider this issue.

The Coordinating Committee, which consists of the chairs and co-chairs of the working committees, will approve and synthesize the work of the working committees into a draft state plan. The Coordinating Committee will consider if new areas of inquiry are needed and if new committees need to be created.

The Florida Project Directors' Association will review and approve and commit to the recommendations of the Coordinating Committee.

In Florida there are hundreds of different stakeholders. Numerous county governments fund legal service programs and together are the third largest source of legal services funding in Florida. The Chief Judge in each of the 20 Florida Judicial Circuits has established a pro bono committee to stimulate and coordinate pro bono efforts in his or her circuit. Most counties in Florida have local bar associations. Local Area Agencies on Aging distribute substantial Older American Act funds to legal service programs throughout the State. In July of 2000, these and other stakeholders will be sent a draft state plan with 30 days for comments. Comments will be solicited in somewhat the same manner as comments are solicited to draft Federal Regulations.

Additionally, a statewide meeting of legal services staff is planned in early 2001. The Coordinating Committee and the Project Directors' Association will present the state plan at that meeting for comment (see proposed state planning timeline).

Florida will make a significant effort to improve its delivery system. We will look at the areas LSC noted as concerns but will more importantly focus on improvements which will contribute to statewide client-centered energetic affirmative advocacy.

Shared Responsibility	The principle that all legal services staff and programs are part of a statewide delivery system.
Collaborative attitude	The mindset that guides individual advocates and programs to act in a manner that is cooperative and accountable.
Strategic thinking	The mental process of selecting the most effective approach and forum in which to achieve desired results for clients, e.g., whether through advice and counsel or full representation; by identifying systemic approaches to responding to individual client.
Advocacy Skills	The substantive knowledge and skills necessary to provide effective high quality representation to legal services clients.
Client-centered	The ability and commitment to provide services in ways that enhance the dignity and independence of low-income people.
Self-Assessment	The willingness to engage in ongoing learning, examine the effectiveness of current advocacy approaches and try out new techniques and strategies.