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26 News Bull. 1 (1966)

handle is hein.barjournals/ialaw0026 and id is 1 raw text is: THE NEWS OF THE BULLETIN Iowa State Bar Association Vol. XXVI, Nos. 1-2 1101 Fleming Building, Des Moines, Iowa January-February, 1966 BOARD OF GOVERNORS SPECIAL MEETING Action Taken on Economic Opportunity Ad Judicial Plebiscite Rules Revised Minor Court Reorganization Plan Approved The Board of Governors of The Iowa State Bar Association met in special session in a two-day meeting on January 20-21, 1966, to consider the Economic Opportunity Act, the Judical Plebiscite, and Minor Court Reorgan- isation. Members of the Special Legal Aid Advisory Committee, members of the Judicial Admin- istration Committee, and a number of past Presidents were also present. Since the special meeting every member of the Association has received a letter from President Dailey enclosing an explanatory pamphet about the Economic Opportunity Act. In order that all members of the Association may be completely Informed, set forth below are the minutes of the special meeting at which these very Important matters were dis- cussed. Every member is urged to thoroughly read and consider these minutes. The minutes are as follows: President Dailey announced that this special two-day meeting had been called, pursuant to the Board's action at the last meeting, to dis- cuss the recommendations of the Judical Ad- ministration Committee, Including the Judicial Plebiscite and Minor Court reform and the Economic Opportunity Act as It pertains to legal services. He stated that coincidently Governor Hughes and Dr. C. Edwin Gilmour, State Director ;or Economic Opportunity, had caused a conference to be called on Community Action Programs under the Economic Oppor- tunity Act, and that Mr. E. Clinton Bamberger, Washington, D. C., Director of the Legal Ser- vices Program, Office of Economic Opportu- nity, would be present at the conference beginning Friday morning, January 21. He stated arrangements had been made for the full Board to attend the Legal Services Work- shop which had been planned and arranged by Dr. Gilmour. He advised the Board that he had requested Mr. Bamberger to meet with the Board Friday Noon, January 21, and he fur- ther stated that Mr. Bamberger had agreed to answer questions which members of the Board might have with respect to legal ser- vices programs under the Economic Oppor- tunity Act. ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY ACT President Dailey called the meeting to order and advised the members of the Board that before the Board for consideration would be what action, if any, The Iowa State Bar Association should take with respect to the legal services aspect of the Economic Oppor- tunity Act. President Dailey introduced Mr. E. Clinton Bamberger, Washington, D. C., Director of Legal Services, Office of Economic Opportunity. A comprehensive discussion ensued with respect to various aspects of the Economic Opportunity Act as it pertains to legal ser- vices. Such discussion brought out that the legal profession is faced with a very definite and difficult problem with respect to the imple- mentation of legal services to the poor under the Economic Opportunity Act. It was brought out that the legal services program might result in considerable change in the practice of law in many areas and poses psychological, political, practical and ethical problems. Thor- oughly discussed by the Board with Mr. Bam- berger while he was present and after his departure, were such matters as: what stand- ards of indigency have been established and are these standards correct; will the neigh- borhood law office recommended by the Of- fice of Economic Opportunity, accept cases in which a fee may be earned; how will referral cases to other lawyers be handled; what type of cases will be accepted if such neighborhood offices are established; what controls will be instituted to meet compliance with the canons of ethics; who may apply for a grant of fed- eral funds to establish a neighborhood law office; must the state or local bar association approve any such proposal; will advertising and solicitation of legal matters be permitted; and what are the administrative proposals to prevent wholesale changes in the traditional concept of the practice of law. Mr. Bamberger enlarged upon the guidelines for legal services programs which he had pre- sented at the Friday morning Economic Oppor- tunity Conference. The guidelines for legal services programs were prepared by the Office of Economic Opportunity in Washington, D. C. Mr. Bamberger, in substance, stated that law- yers have an essential role in providing justice for the poor and to make the protection of the law real for economically disadvantaged peo- ple. He stated that if a community has an unfilled need for legal assistance for people who caniot afford to pay a lawyer's fee, that funds are available. He stated further that proposals may come from legal aid societies, bar association spon- sored groups or any non-profit organization. He stated the purposes to be accomplished are: To provide legal advice and representation for people too poor to employ counsel; to encour- age experimentation with new methods of providing lawyers for disadvantaged people to determine the beat method to be followed; to support education and research in the areas of law which affect the problems of poverty; to educate poor people and those who work with them to know and appreciate the aid of lawyers and the law; and to involve the bar in the discharge of its essential role in the 'War on Poverty. He also stated that in local programs ap- proved by the Office of Economic Opportunity, there should be provision for lawyers to speak to groups of poor people-block clubs, church groups, tenant associations-to tell them that lawyers can help them, that they should speak to a lawyer before they sign the installment contract or when they receive the eviction notice. (Continued on page 3) Please Reserve June 22-23-24,1966, for the Ninety-third Annual Meeting of The Iowa State Bar Association to be held at the Hotel Fort Des Moines, Des Moines, Iowa

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