Thank you for viewing our 2004 annual report and learning more about Northwestern Legal Services. In the summer of 2004, Northwestern Legal Services marked its 35th year in operation. From a small, one county, one office program in 1969, we have grown to a program that covers 10 counties and has 6 offices. More than 111,200 people who are within our 10 county area are financially eligible for legal services. Last year, we continued in our mission to provide free legal aid in civil cases to low-income individuals and families who could not afford legal representation on their own. We believe our work is fundamental to the system of justice that has made our nation great, and it is a commitment we undertake each and every day with a sense of pride and responsibility to the communities we call home.

In this annual report you will see an overview of the numbers and types of client issues we handled last year. While it is always important to view the “bigger picture” when assessing the work of a non-profit organization, I ask that you recognize each case as a local story about an individual or family in need. Whether we offer legal representation or brief legal counsel to a tenant in a landlord/tenant dispute, to a disabled person applying for Social Security benefits, to a parent seeking child support from the other parent, or to a woman trying to escape from domestic violence, our cases are about real people who need our help. Our efforts on their behalf are grounded in the belief that everyone, regardless of how poor they may be, deserves the same degree of access to our legal system.

Over the past year, Northwestern Legal Services has spent time partnering with legislators, bar associations, and human service providers in an attempt to further maximize our collective services to the public. This maximization of services in the face of shrinking financial resources is certainly a difficult task for all of us who are experiencing funding issues. As a response, we have tried to secure resources from new sources. Certainly, traditional grants make up the bulk of our resources. However, we continue to explore new sources of revenue to replace our lost monies.

In December, the Erie County Bar Association directly mailed a solicitation on our behalf to its members to raise money for our mission. This bar association also makes a significant contribution towards helping the low income communities as 70% of that bar association serve on our pro bono panel.

It is also important to recognize that it takes a team effort to bring legal aid to the people we serve. While our dedicated staff of attorneys and paralegals, along with volunteer attorneys, provides the direct representation and counsel to clients, they could not function without support staff, technical staff, administrative staff, community education professionals, and a board of directors who are actively involved in our mission. I am proud of the people who work with me at Northwestern Legal Services and the commitment we all bring to our mission.

Thank you for taking the time to learn more about the important work we do on behalf of those who can not afford civil legal services. I hope you find the information in this report both illuminating and interesting.

Very truly yours,

Robert A. Oakley, Esq.
NWLS Executive Director