1. Advisory Councils

2. Each regional office of Iowa Legal Aid is
required to have a local Advisory Council
Whether a special project will have an
Advisory Council is usually determined
by the proposal to and contract with the
funding source
Advisory councils play a critical role in
the delivery of services by a regional
office or an Iowa Legal Aid special
project

3. Iowa Legal Aid’s Bylaws
provide the structure for
Advisory Councils and
set forth their specific
powers and duties

4. Recommend policies, in close
consultation with the staff of its
service area program, concerning
the functioning of Iowa Legal Aid in
that service area, with particular
regard to eligibility standards,
priorities for problems to be solved
and methods of securing clients

5. Participate in statewide priority
setting procedures
Make appropriate recommendations
for policy changes to the Iowa Legal
Aid Board of Directors

6. Assist staff in informing prospective
clients of Iowa Legal Aid’s services
Assist staff in securing volunteer
personnel, both legal and non-legal,
to assist and supplement the efforts
of the staff

7. Evaluate the operations of Iowa
Legal Aid in the service area of the
regional office
Approve applications for local
(service area) funding and offer
advice regarding the expenditure of
special project funds generated on
the local level

8. Provide appropriate support
and assistance to obtain state,
local and other public and
private funding

9. Select client representatives to serve
on Iowa Legal Aid’s Board of
Directors
Perform such duties as are assigned
to the Advisory Council by the Board

10. Advisory councils are to adopt bylaws
governing their own structure and
composition
LSC regulations regarding membership
on recipients’ Boards of Directors are not
applicable to local Advisory Councils

11. Advisory councils can be composed of
attorneys and clients, as well as agency
representatives, donors, funders or
others.
Membership should be reflective of the
client population and Iowa Legal Aid
equal opportunity guidelines

12. Membership should be sufficiently large
to be representative of the service area in
the community in which the office
operates
Membership should be small enough to
ensure that the Advisory Council can
effectively function and each
representative can be made to feel a part
of the group

13. The Advisory Council Bylaws should
address the officers, any standing
committees, and the issue of quorum
The Advisory Council Bylaws may also
limit terms of service on the council

14. The requirements for meeting can be
decided by the local Advisory Council,
although meetings on a quarterly basis
are encouraged

15. Some Advisory Councils meet by
telephone conference call, or allow those
who are at some distance from the
regional office to participate by
telephone
At least one in-person meeting per year
is encouraged to facilitate interaction
among members

16. The local Advisory Council is the best
barometer for how the regional office is
being perceived in the community

17. The Advisory Council should assist in
educating the general community about
the services available through the
regional office as well as the role that
access to the court system for vulnerable
Iowans plays in addressing community
concerns and priorities.

18. The Advisory Council can be
instrumental in promoting the Volunteer
Lawyers Project.Through the efforts of
Advisory Council members, additional
attorneys can be recruited and input
received from the local bar about the
perception of referrals made through the
Volunteer Lawyers Project.

19. Advisory council members can be
extremely helpful in setting up
community legal education presentations
and spreading the word about these
events

20.  Iowa Legal Aid’s Board of Directors has
delegated to local Advisory Councils the
authority and responsibility for approving
applications for funding that are to be used
in that regional office service area
 In administering local funds, the Advisory
Council has additional responsibility to
ensure that the requirements of local
funding sources are met

21. Local Advisory Councils are important to
Iowa Legal Aid’s annual Campaign for
Equal Justice
Advisory Councils may be asked to make
contacts with prospective major donors,
lapsed donors, or in other ways assist the
Iowa Legal Aid Foundation with
fundraising efforts that it is undertaking

22. Advisory Councils are to make contacts
with elected officials, seeking support for
Iowa Legal Aid’s work at both the state
and local levels
LSC restrictions prohibit use of program
resources for grassroots lobbying
Activities of volunteers, including
Advisory Council members, are not
restricted by LSC so long as program
resources are not used

23. The demonstration that the regional
office has volunteer and public support
in the community can be vital to a
successful budget presentation before
the United Way or another funding source

24. The Board and Advisory Council
Resource Center is a website that
contains training resources and
information pertinent to the duties and
responsibilities of Iowa Legal Aid’s Board
of Directors and local Advisory Councils
- www.probono.net/iowa/board
All Advisory Council members should be
enrolled to have access to the website
which is password protected

25. The Iowa Legal Aid Advisory
Council fulfills a vital function in
the operations of the regional
office and an active and engaged
Advisory Council is crucial to the
office’s success