Introduction - Our Mission

In order to look out for the best interests of your clients, it is important to have a clear sense of vision.
Northwestern Legal Services is a non-profit organization that exists in order to provide free legal aid in civil cases to impoverished individuals and families who cannot afford to hire an attorney on their own. For over thirty-five years we have worked diligently to make a difference in the lives of people by providing them with a broad range of civil legal assistance that includes direct representation and counsel, community legal education and outreach, and tools that people can use to seek justice on their own.

We also try to bring traditional legal methods together with emerging technologies such as the Internet to help low-income clients improve the quality of their lives, and in the process to strengthen the communities in northwestern Pennsylvania that encompass our program region.

In this 2005 annual report, we hope to shed some light on these activities that we bring to bear on behalf of the legal needs of our clients. Our goal is to “balance the scales of justice” for folks who struggle to make ends meet. These men, women and children in our community deserve a full measure of equality under the law, and our responsibility is to see to it that they obtain justice through advocacy and education that lies at the heart of our mission.

The information contained in the NWLS 2005 Annual Report is divided into sections that highlight important aspects of our organization. We hope to provide a clear sense of who we are, and what we do, for the low-income individuals and families who place their trust in us.

Our vision is focused on their civil legal needs. In this annual report, we hope you see what we mean.