The ABA's Standing Committee on Legal Aid and Indigent Defendants (SCLAID) is requesting comments from the legal services community about proposed revisions to the ABA Standards for Providers of Civil Legal Services to the Poor. SCLAID is preparing to issue revised standards to address recent trends in civil legal aid, including new technology, new state and local initiatives, and the rising number of pro se litigants. There are five sections of the proposed standards under review, including: 1) provider effectiveness -- general requirements, 2) provider effectiveness -- delivery structure and methods, 3) client relations, 4) internal systems and procedure, and 5) quality assurance. The current standards are online at http://www.abalegalservices.org/standards.

Comments must be submitted by March 24, 2006 and may be directed to either Terry Brooks (tjbrooks@staff.abanet.org) or to John Tull (jastossoc@earthlink.net).

Email from Terry Brooks, Feb. 28, 2006 (on file with the Brennan Center).