Engagement & Belonging

Community Legal Aid (CLA) is committed to providing our staff, clients, and visitors with a welcoming and inclusive environment. We recognize and affirm that our organization’s success is tied to the different perspectives, backgrounds, and life experiences of our employees and we strive to create and maintain a workplace and board of diverse, talented individuals.

To further this goal, we have established a committee which is open to all staff and focuses on belonging, respect, fairness, and workplace culture. A steering committee composed of representatives from all of our offices and substantive units meets throughout the year to review trainings for staff, receive reports from our units on outreach and advocacy goals, and set the agenda for periodic meetings of the full committee. As part of the annual work planning process that each of our substantive units undertakes each year, community outreach and engagement plans are developed based on a review of census data and our internal client demographic data to ensure that we are adequately and appropriately serving the clients and communities most in need of legal aid. A group of our advocates also regularly meets to identify systemic barriers facing our clients and to craft creative, effective solutions.

While we work hard for our clients, we also appreciate the importance of work-life balance and taking breaks from work. To that end, we created the SWELL (Social & Wellness) Program to promote overall employee well-being and foster connections among staff. Through a variety of events held during work hours—ranging from social gatherings to wellness-focused activities—SWELL encourages employees to connect, try new experiences, and take meaningful breaks. Our goal is to contribute to a positive and engaging workplace culture that helps employees feel connected, supported, and fulfilled. Examples of past SWELL-sponsored events include visits to local art museums, berry picking at local farms, bowling nights, collage workshops, cookie decorating, and ice cream truck visits. For many years, we have also held an annual summer picnic and softball game, a December all-staff lunch, and Thanksgiving lunches for each of our offices.