Milwaukee Legal Initiative for Nonprofit Corporations (M-LINC) seeking Milwaukee nonprofits for free, comprehensive, legal & strategic analysis

M-LINC is seeking a nonprofit organization for placement in the Milwaukee Legal Initiative for Nonprofit Corporations Clinic (the "Clinic") during the 2008-2009 school year.  The Clinic will provide a free, comprehensive, legal and strategic analysis for a selected Milwaukee nonprofit.  Nonprofit organizations that have a specific issue requiring a multi-disciplinary and strategic analysis are eligible to apply for this service (please see additional eligibility requirements below).  If selected for participation, members of the nonprofit's staff and board of directors will meet regularly over the next four to six months with an interdisciplinary team of Marquette University faculty, students, and Milwaukee community advisors to address the legal, financial, governance, and public relations issues related to the nonprofit’s proposed project.  The organization will be expected to be an active participant in this process and will receive a comprehensive planning report at the end of the engagement.

This clinic has been made possible by a grant from the Helen Bader Foundation and participating institutions include Marquette University's Law School, College of Business Administration, J. William and Mary Diederich College of Communications, Advancement Office, College of Professional Studies, as well as the Helen Bader Institute.

Eligible nonprofits must meet the eligibility requirements for M-LINC service and provide required documentation to M-LINC's director, Karin Werner, by 5:00 p.m. on September 17, 2008. 

Eligibility requirements are as follows:

1. the nonprofit must be a 501(c)(3) organization with a determination letter from the IRS,
2. the nonprofit must be unable to pay for legal services without significant impairment of its programs,
3. the nonprofit must have a specific project or challenge that includes legal issues and requires strategic analysis, and
4. the nonprofit must be organized and operated in Milwaukee County.

Required documentation includes the following:  (i) articles of incorporation, (ii) bylaws, (iii) Form 1023 application, (iv) determination letter from the IRS verifying 501(c)(3) status, (v) 2008 budget, (vi) a brief description of the nonprofit, including its mission, current goals, program activities, staff size, use of volunteers, etc, (vii) a comprehensive description of the project or challenge confronting the organization, including a delineation of the legal and strategic issues regarding analysis, and the steps already taken by the organization to address this project or challenge (viii) a statement indicating the impact this project will have on the Milwaukee community if your nonprofit is chosen for participation, (ix) a statement as to whether the organization has ever retained or budgeted for legal counsel, and if so, an explanation of the same, including amounts spent on legal counsel, and (x) any other information the nonprofit thinks the M-LINC advisory council might find useful when choosing an organization to participate in the 2008 Clinic. 

Please address any inquiries and deliver all required documentation to:
M-LINC – Marquette University Law School
c/o Karin Werner
P.O. Box 1881
Milwaukee, WI 53201-1881

For further information, please call M-LINC at (414) 288-6331 or email mlinc@marquette.edu.