a project of the Public Interest Law Initiative (PILI)

Nonprofit Legal Assessment Project (NLAP) Seeks Volunteer Attorneys and Offers Services to Nonprofit Organizations

The Community Economic Development Law Project is launching the Nonprofit Legal Assessment Project (NLAP), to provide a range of legal analysis, representation and technical assistance to established nonprofit organizations.  The primary purpose of the program is to strengthen Chicago’s nonprofit community groups and legal aid and public interest law organizations by building their internal organizational capacity in significant management areas such as regulatory compliance, fiscal oversight, personnel and corporate governance policies.

The genesis of the new program was the Public Interest Law Initiative’s "Legal Audit" project, through which PBI and CEDLP organized teams of law firm and in-house corporate attorneys to conduct comprehensive legal assessments.  This effort was so successful that it was determined that assessments of nonprofits should be a permanent pro bono legal offering.  Around the same time, the Donors Forum of Chicago initiated the “Preserving the Public Trust Initiative” to build the capacity of the nonprofit sector and issued the “Illinois Nonprofit Principles and Best Practices,” a report based on the needs of nonprofits to more effectively implement their missions and manage their resources.  The Public Trust Initiative underscored the need for additional pro bono legal resources to assist area nonprofit organizations.

The Chicago Bar Foundation (CBF) is providing major funding to the NLAP, funding made possible by a recent cy pres award.  The Polk Bros. Foundation provided additional funding.

Jody Adler, who has been the CEDLP nonprofit staff attorney since 1997, will be the new NLAP director. With a wealth of experience in the law of nonprofit organizations and well developed contacts within the pro bono legal community, she will be working with PBI to assemble teams of pro bono attorneys and recruiting nonprofit client organizations. 

NLAP began accepting clients in June 2007.  A new application is available on www.cedlp.org. We encourage public interest law and legal aid organizations as well as pro bono attorneys interested in participating to contact CDELP by e-mail.  This is a great pro bono opportunity for teams of lawyers from the same firm or law firms and the legal departments of their corporate clients.