PRAISES & PRAYERS -"As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by failing to pray for you." 1 Samuel 12:23
NEW WEBSITES. Dec 2007: CLS and its webmasters have been working hard to provide each CLA clinic in the network with its own website and we will be providing a beta test with several clinics to ensure that those who do not already have their own website will be able to plug and play with the sites that we hope to develop for you. Any CLA clinics that are interested in working with us on the beta test site, please contact Brent McBurney as soon as possible.
FALL 2007 PRO DEO. 2007 marks the 10th Anniversary of the second generation of Christian Legal Aid. For those who are new to CLS or to CLA, the cover story of this issue provides a brief history of CLS' involvement in Christian legal aid from the very first clinic, Cabrini Green Legal Aid, through the first generation of CLA clinics in 1980s and the founding of the Christian Conciliation movement, later to become Peacemakers Ministries. In addition to the usual reports regarding CLA around the country, including the newest clinic, Christian Legal Services of Sioux Falls, SD, you will find an article about the inaugural training of the Trinity Legal Clinic of Oklahoma, as well as two articles regarding the involvement of law students in CLA. We hope that you enjoy this latest issue of PRO DEO, the Christian Legal Aid Newsletter.
PROJECT UPGRADE 2007-08: Congratulations to the recipients of this year's Project Upgrade awards. This fall, we were blessed to award matching grants of up to $75,000 to 15 different CLA clinics, including: Administer Justice (Chicago), Brooklyn Jubilee (NY), Cabrini Green Legal Aid (Chicago), Central Dallas Ministries Legal Action Works (TX), Christian Legal Aid Office (Orange County), Christian Legal Aid of Los Angeles (CA), Christian Legal Clinics of Philadelphia (PA), Diakonia Christian Legal Services (Athens, GA), Elizabeth Holistic Living Project (New Jersey), Georgia Justice Project (Atlanta), Justice and Mercy Legal Aid Clinic (Denver), Mission First Legal Aid Office (Jackson, MS), Mission Legal Clinic of the Sunday Breakfast Mission (Wilmington, DE), New Mexico Christian Legal Aid (Albuquerque), and the Uganda Christian Lawyers Fraternity. These CLA Clinics have purposed to improve their services through Preventative Law and Community Education (PLACE), hiring volunteer coordinators, extending their regular services to new branches of legal aid assistance, and opening new satellite CLA clinic sites. Keep up the great work.
NEW CLA CLINICS!!! We are pleased to welcome the Union Gospel Mission Christian Legal Services of Sioux Falls, SD, which began servicing for the men and women of the Union Gospel Mission in October 2007. The training, co-led by Sam Casey and Brent McBurney, was well attended and we are looking forward to providing you with great updates as the Lord leads this new CLA clinic. In addition, we are please to let you know about Micah Legal Aid clinic, a collaboration of the Legal Assistance Foundation of Metropolitan Chicago and the New Community Covenant Church. Micah Legal Aid is located in Logan Square neighborhood of Chicago and has been serving the poor and working poor residents of those surrouding neighborhoods since March 2007. If you are interested in volunteering for either of these new CLA clinics, click here.
 WINTER 2007 PRO DEO. In November 2006 at the Christian Legal Aid Conference, we were blessed to hear from former CLA volunteer and now U.S. District Judge, James O. Browning. Excerpts of Judge Browning's remarks are the cover story in the most current issue of Pro Deo, the Christian Legal Aid Newsletter. This issue includes stories from several project directors and volunteer attorneys (p.3, 8, 9, 10, and 12). You can read about the growth in our outreach through new partnerships (p. 12) and new programs like Albuquerque's preventive law seminars (p. 11). You can also read about our colleagues in Kenya and Uganda and their ongoing ministry efforts (p. 14) or visit their new website: www.clearinternational.org. We hope that you enjoy the stories you read and ask that you share the PRO DEO with your family, friends and colleagues. As always, we invite you to send us stories of changed lives in your clinics: both clients and attorneys for the next issue of PRO DEO. If you would like to be on our mailing list, please e-mail us and we'll make sure to add you to the list.
 PRO DEO - SUMMER 2006. In April, Christian Legal Aid reached an important milestone: 50 clinics . We added numbers 51 and 52 in May and June. You can read about these new clinics, stories from the training sessions and updates from the national program in the Summer 2006 PRO DEO. Also included in this issue is an article by Scott Nehrbass, the project Director for Kansas City's Zenas Project, CLA's 50th project (p. 5). Join us this November for the previously postponed 8th Annual Christian Legal Aid Summit (p. 4). Read about the exciting ways that Project Upgrade is helping our colleagues to improve the quality and quantity of their legal services (p. 7). Rejoice with us for God's faithful provision and pray with us for several of our colleagues who have lost loved ones this spring (p. 6).
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CLS' Legal Aid Program is a national public ministry providing advice and limited assistance for many of the legal and spiritual needs of the poor, in cooperation with Christian churches and faith-based social service providers. We encourage and train Christian volunteer lawyers and other legal professionals to provide basic legal and spiritual counseling, to suggest Biblical conflict resolution, and to organize and conduct quality local legal aid programs. They address family conflict problems, the wrongful denial of jobs, housing, medical or other benefits, and certain minor criminal problems.