Iowa Legal Aid | Iowa Legal Aid Foundation

Board of Directors

Susan Cae Barta – North Sioux City SD
Scott Buchanan – Algona
Marty Diaz – Iowa City
Lois Eichacker – Iowa City
Dana Hackett – Dubuque
Douglas Ibaakee – Des Moines
Diane Kutzko – Cedar Rapids
Rose Anne Mefford – Oskaloosa
Abdalla Musa – Coralville
Art Neu – President – Carroll
Alan Olson – Des Moines
Tim Semelroth – Cedar Rapids
Anita Shodeen – Des Moines
Jean Smalley – Bloomfield
Cathrine Soto – Secretary - Waterloo
Suzan Stewart – Sioux City
Deborah Tharnish – Vice President – Des Moines
Ivan Webber – Des Moines

About Iowa Legal Aid

Iowa Legal Aid is the statewide provider of civil legal representation to low-income Iowans working out of 10 regional offices geographically dispersed throughout the state. Staff attorneys are augmented by more than 2,500 volunteer attorneys donating nearly $1.9 million in pro bono services every year.

In 2007, Iowa Legal Aid helped nearly 19,000 families, 45,000 Iowans, 19,000 of which were children. In that same time 12,000 families were turned away or underserved because of inadequate resources.

For Iowans living in poverty, it is a sad reality that civil legal representation is often the only means to secure basic necessities of life, be that protection from physical abuse, avoidance of homelessness, or access to adequate healthcare.

Often those living in poverty see a single issue compound for lack of resolution. A predatory car loan results in forfeiture of the car, which means loss of employment and ultimately eviction, all for lack of civil representation and access to justice.

Iowa Legal Aid is a sound investment for Iowa
    o Often federal dollars are brought into the state, lessening the burden on state and local resources.
        Reversing unjust denials of SSI/SSDI and Medicare/Medicaid claims reduces the burden on state and
        local support systems.
    o Families that are protected from unjust eviction do not become a burden on cities, counties and the
       state in homeless shelters.
    o Providing for the safety and security of low-income families works to stabilize the workforce.

Beyond the general practice of civil representation, Iowa Legal Aid operates several specialized programs including but not limited to:
   o Hotline for Older Iowans: Provides legal advice, information and referral to Iowans over the age of 60.
   o Health and Law Project: Working in the medical community to identify and address legal issues that are
      the underlying cause of chronic medical conditions.
   o Equal Justice Project: Working to identify best practices of the legal community to lift victims from the
      cycle of domestic abuse.
   o Iowa Volunteer Lawyers Project: Unites low-income clients with private practice attorney’s willing to
      accept a limited number of pro-bono cases.

For more information about Iowa Legal Aid, and for legal resources supplied by Iowa Legal Aid, visit www.iowalegalaid.org