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Legal Aid Society of Story County reports record caseload and seeks staffing support
Summary
Legal Aid Society of Story County told the board it accepted 275 cases in the last fiscal year, served about 233 clients/families, logged more than 3,000 direct service hours and plans to seek a fourth attorney through an IOLTA application to meet rising demand.
Peggy Michelotti, representing the Legal Aid Society of Story County, presented the agency's annual report on March 31 and described a year of increased demand for legal services.
"This last fiscal year, we accepted 275 cases," Michelotti said, adding that she believes roughly 233 individual clients and families were served. The organization provided more than 3,000 direct client service hours and estimated the average time per case at about 11.75 hours, which Michelotti said equates to an average total cost of approximately $1,675 per case.
Michelotti told the board the office continues partnerships with local service providers and has expanded offerings such as public classes at the Ames Public Library on topics including guardianships and divorces. The Legal Aid office currently has three attorneys (Michelotti, Josh Opperman and Bethany Miller) and has applied to IOLTA for funding to add a fourth attorney to improve local capacity.
The board thanked Michelotti for the thorough report; no board action was required. Michelotti also said the agency has paused one fundraising event (Jazz for Justice) this year while exploring alternative fundraising, including a potential movie event at the Camelot movie theater.
What happens next: Legal Aid will continue partner programs and pursue the IOLTA-funded position if awarded; the board recorded appreciation and no follow-up vote was taken.
