The Law Foundation of Ontario has approved a grant of $1.1M for the Association of Community Legal Clinics of Ontario in support of its Clinic Learning and Training Program.
ACLCO is a nonprofit organization that represents and supports the province’s 71 community legal clinics. The clinics provide poverty law services to Ontario’s low-income communities through legal representation in courts and tribunals, brief services, legal advice and assistance, law reform, community development, public legal education, and referrals. Each clinic is an independent, nonprofit agency governed by its own community-elected boards of directors.
“To provide the best quality and relevant legal services, we must ensure clinics have access to high-quality and continuous learning opportunities. The Clinic Learning and Training Program will make a real difference to the way that community legal clinics are run, governed, and managed,” says Lenny Abramowicz, ACLCO’s Executive Director. “Community legal clinics are distinct among legal aid service providers. Based on past successes, we know that a dedicated and specialized learning program is vital for our member clinics to best meet client and community needs, and to operate proficiently, efficiently, and sustainably.”
ACLCO’s Clinic Learning and Training Program provides training opportunities for the system’s approximately 2,000 staff, law and articling students, and volunteer board members. The curriculum is developed, delivered, and evaluated by staff with adult learning expertise. Training covers the most current practices of substantive poverty law and board and management development, with topics such as governance, fiscal management, human resources, and evaluation. The program also facilitates practice area groups, regional and provincial meetings, and networking, mentoring, and peer-support opportunities.
“One of The Law Foundation of Ontario’s strategic priorities is to collaborate and build knowledge to strengthen the access to justice sector. ACLCO and the community legal clinic system are anchors of this sector,” says Lisa Cirillo, the Foundation’s CEO. “We are pleased to be in a position to support the clinics’ ability to most effectively govern and manage their operations and to deliver the highest quality legal services, especially for some of the most marginalized communities across Ontario.”
