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By LAF Liaison

Marilyn Roland

rolandm2@comcast.net

Text Box: Congratulations to Oregon We can be proud of the fund-raising efforts for LAF in Oregon. We are third in the United States in our total giving to LAF! In individual branch giving, Beaverton was seventh in the nation. AAUW Hosts LAF Discussions (The following contains excerpts from the Association's "LAF/UPDATES" published this summer to clarify some of the changes in the LAF focus being considered.) As part of the Legal Advocacy Fund's expansion, AAUW hosted a luncheon on July 22, 2008, with key leaders of women's and civil rights organizations to discuss our plans to support strategic litigation in the wider workplace and to gain their collaboration in those efforts. The organizations included in this discussion have lawyers on staff litigating cases related to LAF priorities. AAUW Executive Director Linda Hallman noted that over the years, in addition to a continued commitment to fight discrimination in the academic arena, AAUW members have

Text Box: increasingly indicated a desire to support cases in the wider workplace. In February 2008, the Educational Foundation Board of Directors voted to expand LAF case support to the wider workplace and to focus on strategic cases with precedent-setting potential. At the luncheon, Hallman stressed that case selection is a critical aspect of this strategy and asked attendees to use their legal expertise to help us identify significant cases to support. As she explained, "For twenty-five years, AAUW has been proud to support plaintiffs through difficult and trying times in their lives, and now we are very pleased that we can support key cases that will not only help specific plaintiffs but also will impact all women." AAUW Director of Public Policy and Governmental Affairs Lisa Maatz further expanded on the vision for LAF and how AAUW hopes to partner with the organization represented at the meeting. "We want to find out where AAUW can make a difference," Maatz said. "We want you to help us understand what cases are in the pipeline, so we can be strategic in applying our support." Maatz explained that while AAUW is certainly interested in

Text Box: supporting sex discrimination cases in the workplace, AAUW's public policy agenda is broader than just that issue, so AAUW staff would be open to learning about and potentially supporting cases beyond sex discrimination as long as they fell within our mission. Maatz gave examples of the range of ways LAF could partner with organizations engaged in litigation, including signing and/or funding amicus briefs, funding expert witness or filing fees in the courtroom, paying plaintiff travel expenses, and providing plaintiffs with emergency funds if they are in a financial crisis due to their lawsuits. Maatz emphasized that AAUW could also lend important nonmonetary support through our 100,000 caring and dedicated members.