Legal Aid University (LAU) will launch as a national operation in January 2006. The independent non-profit center aims to train the "next generation of equal justice advocates" by providing both in-person and online training courses for legal aid attorneys. LAU's online courses will combine multimedia learning resources with facilitated online discussions. Civil legal aid supervisors and managers, as natural mentors for younger advocates, will be involved in every stage of the training courses, including course selection and evaluation. Courses will teach a variety of skills, including litigation, community outreach, and client relations. In addition, LAU will partner with Seattle University Law School, where Ada Shen-Jaffe (formerly of Columbia Legal Services) will serve as the Distinguished Public Interest Practitioner in Residence. Shen-Jaffe also will serve as LAU's Senior Advisor for Strategic Planning and Organizational Development. LAU, which grew out of the Legal Services Training Consortium of New England, already has programs in 22 states and the District of Columbia. LAU has helped to fill the void left when nine LSC-funded regional training centers were eliminated gradually beginning in 1996. For more information, see LAU's website: