Letter from the Board President

Dear FriendsWe are thrilled to be celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Legal Aid of Marin. For fi ve decades, we have committed ourselves to providing free legal services to low-income and underserved residents of Marin County. With your help and the support of our devoted and talented panel of more than 200 pro bono attorneys, we are proud to dedicate ourselves to the promise of Justice for All for years to come.

We continue to be a vital and effective resource to communities and residents throughout Marin County. Legal Aid staff members are out in the community bringing information, education and advice to every corner of Marin. We are champions of workers whose rights are violated and friends and advocates for families when abuse and neglect have torn them apart. We care about the homeless and have developed special programs to bring services to those forced to live on our streets, who often fi nd it diffi cult to seek out help on their own and our continued focus on housing and tenants’ rights provides critical intervention to prevent people from becoming homeless in the fi rst place. We have also increased our attention on the terrible problem of fi nancial elder abuse faced by older adults in our community, who can count on us for support.

But there is so much more we could be doing and, with your support, we must continue to expand our services to meet the overwhelming needs of the most disadvantaged members of our communities.

Legal Aid of Marin has made great progress since 2001 when we walked away from federal funds that imposed unacceptable restrictions on the people we could serve. With critical support from the Marin Community Foundation and supporters like you, we not only survived that transition but have strengthened the organization and its impact on the community. Our fi nancial statements demonstrate we are careful with the investments you make in us, with 82% of our funding directly supporting the programs that serve the community. We also leverage your investment through in-kind volunteer support to deliver more than $1,000,000 in pro bono services each year.

Our accomplishments would not have been possible without the dedication of the extraordinary staff, the generous volunteer Board, our team of devoted volunteers and the community support upon which we depend. We are very grateful to all of our grantors and contributors and we ask for your continued support as we begin the next 50 years of service.

Together we can make a difference.

DeWLeouunanthou

Andrew Giacomini

In 1958, Dwight Eisenhower was President of the United States, Elvis Presley was inducted into the military, Goodwin Knight was Governor of California, the Giants

brought professional baseball to Seals Stadium in San Francisco and the Legal Aid Society of Marin was incorporated.

The following attorneys were among the founders on April 19, 1958:

History

Ann L. Diamond Carl B. Shapiro Ed Grundstrom Jay Ross MacMahon Bryan R. McCarthy Hadden W. Roth

Bruce BalesAnn L. DiamondRobert ElliottJames M. FletcherHarold FulkersonEd GrundstromHerb HawkinsLeland JordanArthur M. LeBow

Jay MacMahonBryan McCarthyE. Warren McGuireDavid Menary, Jr.Howard K. MorehouseClark PalmerRobert PraetzelFred RobbinsHadden Roth

Thomas SchaalCarl ShapiroRobert A. SmallmanPeter SmithLeonard A. ThomasDelger TrowbridgeHarold TruettEd WardLawrence Wright

Commissioner Roy Chernus, Marin County Superior Court: “Individuals exist beneath the surface. Legal Aid gives people not just a voice, but tangible help when they need it.”

Jonathan Gertler, Chavez & Gertler, Legal Aid of Marin Board Member: “Legal Aid provides emotional and social support . . . it lets people know the world has not abandoned them.”

Carl Shapiro, Marin Civil Rights Attorney:“The purpose of lawyering is to stand as the guardian for poor people who need lawyers to help them.”

The Marin County Bar Association President of 1957, leading up to the incorporation of the Legal Aid Society of Marin, was Bryan McCarthy, now

an active partner in Freitas, McCarthy, MacMahon & Keating. Mr. McCarthy was one of Legal Aid of Marin’s founders. In 1958, Mr. McCarthy held the list of approximately 15 - 20 attorneys willing to volunteer time to assist the poor and needy of Marin with free legal services. “We would meet in the old Tamalpais Hotel. It became apparent one day that people began to need legal help who could not afford it” recalls McCarthy. The same task was also performed by Howard Morehouse according to Robert Smallman. “We all rotated to take cases other than criminal or divorce. . . . We all served for free.” This grand tradition continues today through Legal Aid of Marin’s pro bono program.

Legal Aid of Marin has benefi tted for fi ve decades from the hard work and endless commitment of so many dedicated staff members, board members, community volunteers and pro bono attorneys. From the offi ces on “C” Street in San Rafael starting in the 1970’s to the Marin Justice Center created in the last several years, Legal Aid of Marin has consistently served the low-income and vulnerable residents of Marin County with high quality legal services.

The extraordinary work of the following eleven individuals, among others, was responsible for shaping Legal Aid of Marin during the 1970’s and 1980’s: Robert McCreadie, Cecilia Lannon, Wanden Treanor, The Honorable Faye D’Opal, The Honorable Lynn Duryee, The Honorable Beverly Savitt (ret.), Milt Hyams, Tom Hendricks, Steve Duditch, Ed Rockman, and William Gorenfeld. Please contact us if you or other individuals you know have been mistakenly excluded from this list. We want to know all about our history.

Marin Justice Center

Financials

2005 2006 2007In Kind Support/Volunteer Legal Services $1,185,965 $1,011,760 $1,444,247

Cash & Cash Equivalents $113,148 $110,324 $235,312

Investments/Reserves $0 $209,248 $220,813

Total Liabilities and Net Assets $593,429 $643,318 $710,453

Salaries, Payroll Taxes and Benefi ts $521,353 $529,177 $555,244

Other Operating Expenses*** $219,565 $248,466 $282,061

***Legal Aid of Marin’s annual audit is available upon request.

Clients Served

New Cases Opened New & On-going Cases

1359

1049 1017

2005 2006 2007 2005 2006 2007

17421650

1932

* Legal Aid of Marin has not received any restricted federal funding since 2001. Government grants from the State of California represent less than 15% of all revenue.

** Program Service Income includes attorney’s fees, claims administration fees and grants/contracts that require a regular report and invoice for reimbursement.

Grants and Contracts* = 70%

Program Service Income** = 18%

Contributions = 6%

Special Event = 5%

Interest = 1%

Programs = 82%

Administration = 11%

Fundraising = 7%

Programs

Marin residents with extremely low incomes face many challenges as a result of their lack of fi nancial resources -- food insecurity, the inability to fi nd and secure stable housing,

inadequate health care, and other struggles to meet basic needs. They also cannot afford legal representation. Everyone needs access to justice in order to prosper.

The main barrier to access to legal services in Marin and throughout the United States is income. Yet poverty is not the only obstacle to justice. Limited English, lack of education and unfamiliarity with the legal system are all factors that prevent low income individuals and families from accessing needed legal services.

Legal Aid of Marin has developed and participated in legal services and outreach programs designed to assess and address the legal needs of this population.

Direct Legal Services:Legal Aid of Marin employs a legal staff consisting of four attorneys and two bilingual legal assistants. We have also assembled a panel of over 200 pro bono private attorneys working in Marin and the greater Bay Area who are available to provide services to our clients. This legal team provides a continuum of services that are tailored to meet each client’s legal needs. These services range in intensity from simply providing some legal information or a referral all the way to direct legal representation in court hearings and trials. This approach allows us to provide the appropriate level of legal service to meet each of our client’s unique needs.

Legal Aid of Marin predominantly handles housing (tenant rights), employment (worker rights) and consumer (mostly debtor rights) legal matters in addition to dependency (abuse and neglect) law, family law and a host of other civil legal issues.

Marin Medical-Legal Partnership:Legal Aid of Marin created the Marin Medical-Legal Partnership in November 2006 with the goal of improving the health of children, families and individual adults by integrating legal assistance into the clinical setting. Our current partner in the project is the Marin Community Clinics. Our vision is to expand the Medical-Legal model to include partners that serve West Marin and Marin City.

Specialized Legal Clinics:Legal Aid of Marin provides the following Pro Bono Clinics and Workshops on a regular basis based on the need from the community: (1) Consumer, Debt and Contracts; (2) Wills, Trusts and Estate Planning; (3) Family Law and Divorce; (4) Bankruptcy; and (5) Labor and Employment/Worker issues. These clinics may be for groups, but most are individualized appointments. The Clinics and Workshops take place at Legal Aid of Marin at the Marin Justice Center as well as Whistlestop in San Rafael, the Mill Valley Community Center, or as arranged.

Homeless Outreach Project:The Homeless Outreach Project was designed by Legal Aid of Marin to improve access to legal services for homeless individuals and families. In 2007, we served over 75 homeless clients as part of an incentive for participation in the Marin Homeless Count and through the fi rst Marin Project Homeless Connect. The need for access to these services is critical on an ongoing basis so we have set up offi ce hours at The Ritter Center in San Rafael to address legal needs where the homeless seek other services. We will actively partner with Homeward Bound in Novato and the St. Vincent DePaul Society Dining Hall should this project become funded.

Earn It! Keep It! Save It!:The United Way of the Bay Area supported Legal Aid of Marin’s participation in a series of community tax preparation events. Legal Aid of Marin has a bilingual notary on staff and she has been integral to the completion of fully executed Individual Tax Identifi cation Number applications that will allow an individual or family to pay income taxes for the fi rst time.

Seniors Against Investment Fraud:The California Department of Corporations provides the materials and we fi nd the audiences and make presentations to older adults about avoiding scams and fi nancial elder abuse. Marin residents in assisted living facilities, complexes occupied by primarily older adults and senior community centers have been particularly receptive. Legal Aid of Marin averages approximately one presentation every month.

Foreclosure Workshops:Legal Aid of Marin has offered foreclosure avoidance and advice workshops since the crisis arrived in 2007. We have recruited local attorneys to assist in the community discussions. This level of information will most likely serve our clients well for the foreseeable future.

Pro Bono Program:Legal Aid of Marin relies on the support of multiple attorneys that donate time and resources to assist our clients when our limited resources are over stretched. In 2006 and 2007, our volunteers donated over 4,800 pro bono (free) hours constituting a total in-kind contribution to Legal Aid of Marin of more than $2,400,000.

Outreach:Legal Aid of Marin staff members offer weekly appointments at the Novato Human Needs and the Canal Alliance. We also attend to patients of the Marin Community Clinics on a weekly basis in both Novato and Greenbrae and we will expand this to the Canal when the new Clinic opens. Appointments are necessary and drop-ins depend on the availability and schedule of staff.

Client Stories

Our client is a Vietnam veteran. Circumstances caused him to dedicate his life to raise the children of his recently deceased wife, including a six-year old. He then found himself in

a diffi cult situation – facing eviction – because his wife had failed to add him to her subsidized lease. Despite his sympathetic pleas for his continued tenancy, the management of the complex took an aggressive stance against our client. After extensive preparation for trial, including 258 hours dedicated by pro bono counsel, a settlement was reached allowing our client and the two children to remain at the complex.

An employee, even if they are treated as part of the family, is still entitled to labor protection. Our client worked for a family performing multiple tasks for a lengthy period of time with-

out proper compensation. The matter was promptly fi led with the California Labor Commission to preserve her claims to just pay. The parties agreed to mediation prior to a hearing. Several weeks of preparation and negotiation resulted in the case settling favorably.

An older adult client was solicited at a supermarket by a local representative of a national optical company who offered to clean our client’s eye glasses for free. While cleaning the

glasses, the representative broke the frames. It cost our client $559.00 to replace the frame and the prescription lenses. Legal Aid of Marin wrote a demand letter and the costs of the new glasses were fully reimbursed.

Our client was referred to Legal Aid of Marin by her physician through our Marin Medical-Legal Partnership. Client is the single mother of four young children. The landlord had

failed to properly address an extensive mold problem in the apartment. Our client’s one-year old was particularly suffering poor health from the mold. Legal Aid of Marin intervened by contact-ing the landlord and shortly thereafter our client was released from her lease, her security deposit was returned in full and she moved her family into a mold free apartment.

Older Adult Client:“I don’t know what I would have done. Legal Aid is a treasure.”

Dependency Client: “If it were not for Legal Aid, I would not have my kids right now.”

Kerry Pierson - Trustee for the Poor and Needy, Marin Community Foundation, Former Board Member and Client Representative.

Impact Services

In addition to our work with individual clients, Legal Aid of Marin utilizes strategies to effect changes that help our clients by tackling the systemic problems that create barriers to accessing

the justice system. These strategies include impact litigation often pursued in conjunction with co-counsel. All of these cases were successfully resolved except one which is still pending.

Substandard Housing Conditions:Bonner v. Gateway Apartments (2007) concerns an alleged design or construction defect that is believed to have impacted all of the nearly 300 units in a Marin City apartment complex.

Westman v. D.M. Jacobson and Sons (2002) involved alleged toxic mold exposure causing horrendous health effects for a mother and daughter.

Worker Rights:Bernabe v. AMK Enterprises (2005) was fi led against two Jack-in-the Box franchises alleging failure to pay overtime, meal and rest periods as well as unsafe working conditions and sexual harassment.

Gutierrez v. Magruder (2004) alleged a Marin McDonalds restaurant cheated workers out of overtime, rest and meal breaks, shaving employee time from payroll reports and having employees work under more than one name to avoid paying overtime.

DeLeon v. Nana Enterprises dba Travelodge Mill Valley (2005) concerned overtime, meal and rest period and other labor code violations. Eligible workers collected a check from Legal Aid of Marin based on the number of pay periods worked.

Escobar v. Peck Sosa, Inc. dba Building Care Systems (2005) named Legal Aid of Marin as the Claims Administrator. Our task was to communicate with current and former employees concerning a settlement that allowed compensation for failure to pay overtime. Nearly 100 claimants were identifi ed and paid.

Affordable Housing:LeSage v. LCT (2005) vindicated tenants that alleged older adults were enticed to move to affordable housing based on low rents, but their six month lease expired and rents were increased up to 14%. The matter was resolved favorably in 2006.

Contempo Marin Homeowners Association v. Manufactured Home Communities (2000) settled before the Marin County Superior Court, but a federal action challenging rent control for the mobile home park is still pending in federal court. We continue to closely advise Contempo residents after eight years of litigation.

Travelodge claimants receive a settlement check

Grantors, Sponsors & Corporate Donors

California Department of CorporationsFair Housing of MarinFirst 5 Marin – Children & Families CommissionIrene S. Scully Family FoundationThe Marcled FoundationMarin Community FoundationMarin County – Board of SupervisorsMarin County – Department of Health & Human Services, Division of AgingMorris Stulsaft FoundationState Bar of California – Administrative Offi ce of the Courts Equal Access Fund Income on Lawyer Trust Accounts (IOLTA)United Way of the Bay Area – Program and Earn It! Keep It! Save It!VanLobenSels/Rembe Rock FoundationZellerbach Family Foundation

Corporate Donors/Sponsors

Ace Wasabi’s Rock & Roll SushiAckeret – Sheron, LLPAllianz Legal & ComplianceAmici’s PizzeriaAquarium of the BayArchitecture StudioAshley Morgan DesignsAtlantis ChartersBak in ActionBank of MarinBay Club of MarinBlum Capital LPBody, Mind, SpiritBourhis Mann Law FirmBrayton * Purcell LLPBrewer Philips Salon (Laura Iniguez)Center for Judicial ExcellenceChavez & Gertler LLPChina Basin ChartersColor ColorCotchett Pitre & McCarthyDelfi no Green & GreenDuane Morris Law FirmEmison Hullverson Bonagofsky LLPFarella Braun + Martel LLPFireman’s Fund Insurance Co.First Republic BankFreitas McCarthy MacMahon & KeatingGap Foundation Gift Match ProgramHanson Bridgett LLPHarmony RestaurantHeller Ehrman WhitmanHilltop Charitable GroupIl DavideIl Fornaio

Grantors

JAMS, The Resolution ExpertsJerry Wilson Memorial FoundationJoVino Café & Wine BarKecker & Van Nest LLPKenneth Frank AccountancyKillingsworth & HolzwarthKimberly Skin CareLa Boulange, Café & BakeryLaw Offi ce of Philip M. LevinLaw Offi ce of Renee ChernusLilli S. SalonLive Art – Carole WatanabeLucasfi lm, Ltd.Mains + BloomMarin Community FoundationMarin County Bar AssociationMarin Independent JournalMarin MagazineMeredith Weinstein & NumbersMichael Johnson Performance, Inc.Michelle Maloy MassageOakland AthleticsOrrick Herrington & SutcliffePacheco Ranch WineryPave & BogaardsPiperadePlastiris & TerrizziPLS Pacifi c Laser SystemsPresidio BankRagghianti Freitas LLPRaindance SpaRitz Carlton – San FranciscoRobata SushiRoss Valley WineryRotary of TiburonRouda Feder Tietjin & ZanobiniSabor of SpainSan Rafael Joe’sSee’s CandiesScheer & ImfeldSchneider & WallaceSharp & BrownSilveri & SilveriSol Food Puerto Rican CuisineSonoma Taco ShopSt. Vincent de PaulSteyer LowenthalSutter Instrument GroupSutton Mediation ServicesT & B SportsTalamantes Villegas & Carrera LLPTamalpais BankThomas Hullverson FoundationTrinchero Family WinesTully’s CoffeeUnicorn Printing SpecialistsThe Warren Law FirmWells FargoWomen’s Club of Marin

Abesa, Cynthia & Hogle, SeanAcevedo, SandraAdams, Hon. VernaArnold, ElizabethAtterman, KennethBabikian, JeffreyBaer, DavidBall, Kathryn & RobertBaskin, LarryBatie, LauraBecker, Jules & JodyBecker, RubenBeer, ThomasBerberian, EdwardBerland, AllanBerryman, JillBerger, SallyBloch, EleanorBloomberg, JudithBogaards, Debra & PieterBordon, David & JeanBoren, Hon. TerranceBornstein, IzzyBortel, AllanBoudett, JohnBrandes, Beth & JulianBreiner, DeborahBreiner, Hon. Richard Ret.Bridges, CeceliaBroderick, Hon. Henry Ret.Brown, Judith AustinCaldwell, Edwin TrainCaldwell, Michael TrainCariere, JimCastrejon, RachelChambers, TimCampbell, RoryChampoux, RonaldChang, Jenie & Harwood, BenChernus, Roy & ReneeChertok, Maria RamosCoggleshall, ChuckCohen, CarolynCohen, Paul S.Cole, EdaConnolly, Dawn & DamonCorbett, AmyCoury, DaveCrecelius, KathleenCrocker, AaronCrosland, RoydaCulver, John & Johnson, KatherynDauven, WendyDavenport, CandiceDavis, Charles

Doherty, ColleenD’Opal, Faye & Wanden Treanor FundDresow, CharlesDrexler, KennethEdgemon, Pauline & DennisEllis, BensonErickson, RobertFawcett, F. CongorFay, JoelFeeney, JohnFeingold, DavidFeldman, Phillip & LisaFitch, CeceliaFrieman, JonathanFullerton, Dr. JohnGabianelli, DavidGack, KennethGeorge, J. FrankGertler, JonGetchell, MarleneGiacomini, Andrew Gilardi, SusanGilmore, RitaGinaleski, MarkGoldfein, LisaGrant, ShirleyGreen, C. ClayGrinnell, DanielGrove, Hon. Mary Ret.Guthrie, JamesHaakenson, Hon. PaulHalbert, MaryHale, Jim & DeniseHansen, KentHanson, MarkaHarris, DanielHedin, ToddHernandez, RocioHorngrad, DouglasHotchkin, ElizabethHullverson, JohnHumphries, Donald & VirginiaJernstedt, KarenJohn, GeorgeJohnson, WilliamJones, Katherine & PeterJordan, BethKeating, A. J.Kenney, Elaine & RobertKenyon, RichardKerns, RobertKillion, PaulKinsey, Sup. SteveKloenhamer, Janet & Larry

Konopken, MartinKramer, ShelleyKrause, MarshallKundrot, JasonKwok, MinetteLambert, PeterLanders, ElizabethLeone, JonathanLeoni, MargueriteLerner, EstherLeSage, MoniqueLevenson, MyraLevin, A. & Bertrand, J.Lippenberger, CarlLippman, EliotLocke, R. ChristopherLong, DavidMah, Sharon & Wei, ChrisMahoney, AnnMalkin, MartinMaslow, LisaMcEntyre, BarbaraMcIntosh, WayneMcKenney, JamesMcNear, Daniel & KathleenMichaels, SpencerMills, RobertMitchell, GailMitchell, GladyneMontizambert, GeraldMorales, ChristopherMoran, NeilMuirhead, Mary AnneMulberg, FrankMulthap, EricMussallem, AlexandraNardell, J.T.Nevins, SheilaNicholls, DonO’Connor, EileenOkimoto, MinetteOverline, Dr. HarryParnes, MarkPave, RobertPerry, WarrenPhillips, ScottPhillips, DavidPittman, MerriPoindexter, JamesPutz, C. DelosRedding, WilliamResolution RemediesRice, MarkRifkind, LeonardRitchie, Hon. James

Individual Donors/Sponsors

Rockman, EdwardRosenberg, StevenRosenblatt, Carolyn Roth, HaddenRottger, ElizabethRusche, Conn & SusanRussell, KerrySamuels, MichaelSandman, PeterSavitt, Hon. Beverly Ret.Scheer, SpencerSchenk, EricSchoppert, JeffreySchujman, Elidia DoldanSchwartz, JenniferSchwartzbach, GeraldSeiling, JeralynSharyon, Peggy & LeonShen, JohnSherwood, JanetSievers, DariaSilvestri, GeorgeSimmons, KellySimson, Garrity & InnesSloan, KathleenSmall, AnnieSnyder, Darin & ClaireSorenson, NeilSpaeth, JosephStrick, LawrenceSutton, David & ClaudiaTarrent, Richard & LindaTaylor, FayeThayer, JoanThompson, RoderickThompson, ToddTreanor, Wanden & Faye D’Opal FundTrutner, CynthiaTurner, KimVan Camp, MargaretVarian, Susan & BobViet, JulieVeith, NancyWachtel, ArthurWallace, RandyWasserman, StevenWhite, MattWilson, KarenWilson, TomWinston, Paul & BonnieWolf, MichaelWorthington, WilliamWright, Lawrence

Mission:Legal Aid’s mission is to improve social justice, economic equity and opportunity,

and to assure due process and equal protection of the law, by providing low-income and vulnerable Marin residents (poor people, children, seniors, immigrants, people

with disabilities, and the homeless) with access to high-quality, effective legal services, including direct representation and pro per support services, as well as through

affi rmative litigation.

Legal Aid of Marin provides assistance in civil legal matters to low-income Marin residents and all older adults.

Legal Aid of Marin serves over 1,500 individuals and families annually.

All donations and sponsors listed are refl ected in our records.If our records are inaccurate, we sincerely apologize.

Please contact us to make a correction at (415) 492-0230 ext. 309.

Legal Aid of Marin is a private, non-profi t organization, and we rely on both individual and corporate donations. Thank you for your support.

Legal Aid of Marin was the 2008 Recipient of the Marin Community Foundation Beryl H. Buck Award for Achievement in Promoting Social Justice.Nominated by Bank of Marin.

Mission:

�

“Thanks to Legal Aid of Marin I will be moving on to a new employer shortly – someone who pays me a living wage.”

“I can only thank you, they returned my money that I had taken from me.”

“The problem was solved with one outside phone call on my behalf. I will be forever grateful.”

“Thanks for being there for me in a time of great need!!”

�

LEGAL AID of MARIN

30 N. San Pedro Rd., Suite 220San Rafael, CA 94903

Tel.: 415.492.0230Fax: 415.492.0947

Tax ID: 94-1419330

www.LegalAidMarin.org

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

ANDREW GIACOMINIPresident

KENNETH L FRANKTreasurer

JANET S KLOENHAMERSecretary

DEBRA F BOGAARDSRENEE CHERNUSAMY CORBETTDAVID A GABIANELLIJONATHAN GERTLERDAN HARRISJOHN E. HULLVERSONMARTIN M. KONOPKENPHILIP LEVINNEIL MORANALEXANDRA MUSSALLEMEILEEN O’CONNORDAVID SUTTONANGELA WARREN

VOLUNTEERS

JEAN BORDONVolunteer Attorney

DIANA BRAAIntake Specialist

BETH BRANDESSystems Specialist

STAFF

PAUL S. COHENExecutive Director

JAN BALDWINFinance/Admin

NANCY MURPHYPro Bono Manager

MARIKO NAKANISHIStaff Attorney

SUSAN VARIANSupervising Attorney

BROOKE THACHERStaff Attorney

NEAL SIMONSocial Work Supervisor

SANDRA ESQUIVIASLegal Assistant

HORACE DE LA VEGALegal Assistant

JESSICA DIAZReception

LEGAL AID of MARIN