and the Role of Counsel for the Poor."
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Finding Aid Introduction
Introduction The Alfred Corbett Papers contain two series, the first documenting his work with the Office of Economic Oppotunity/Legal Services Program (OEO/LSP), and the second documenting his work for the Legal Services Corporation. Most of the documents and papers relate to his contribution as funds administrator and program managing. The first series, concerning his years with the OEO/LSP, includes reports and evaluations of several Community Action Agencies and planning and budgeting for nation-wide and regional programs. It also includes The National Anti-Poverty Plan: Report of OEO for years 68-72. The second series relates to Corbett's years in the Legal Services Corporation (LSC). The LSC series contains reports and evaluations as well as drafts and letters concerning financing and project management. There are also records on alternative uses of Investment Income, one a plan to increase the involvement of the private bar, and another raising private money to finance comprehensive plans for persons of "Lower and Middle Income Brackets" and the "Near Poor". The series also includes several copies of Corbett's thesis "The Last Miles...," which contains long range goals above the minimum access level and approaches for the development of those long range goals. Finally, it includes what is likely to be Corbett's achievement, an ABA/LSC Pro-Bono project dated 1979. Both series include handwritten notes, memos, newspaper clippings, and letters. There is a folder about Corbett's retirement. Alfred Corbett was born in Portland Oregon in 1915. He received his BS from Harvard University and his LL.B. from Yale University. He was admitted to the Bar in 1940. Out of law school he worked for the firm Koemer, Young, McColloch & Dezendorf. During World War II he served for two years as a sergeant in Mountain Troops (a combat support unit). After the War Corbett was the first Commissioner of the Portland Housing Authority, and in 1951 he became Assistant General Counsel to the Defense Electrical Power Administration in Washington DC. He received "superior job performance" ratings and "exceptional service awards" within the agency. Corbett was elected Oregon State Representative in 1956, and later State Senator, and he served in that capacity until 1965. During that time he was Chairman of the oversight committee having responsibility for the entire budget for the State of Oregon. For OEO/LSP Corbett designed the basic grant procedures that were used by the agency to fund and monitor the legal services programs. In 1967 he became Director of the Operation Division of Community Action Program of the OEO, and in 1968 he became Deputy Associate Director for Program Policy of the CAP. In 1969 he was Director of the Budget & Fiscal Management Division. In his nine years with OEO he served in other pioneering capacities. He worked with Senior Staff and Policy officials in developing policy, as well as evaluating program and coordinating nation-wide programs with various regional offices. In 1974, within the Legal Services Corporation, Corbett became Chairman of the Project Review Board, his job to review applications for funding and refunding of all (263) LSC funded programs. In 1976 he became Director of Program Planning in the Corporation and worked on the annual report. In July 1977 he announced his retirement, effective in September of the same year. Subjects: Alfred Corbett, Legal Aid, Office of Economic Opportunity, Legal Services Corporation Dates: 1965-1977, 1993 Provenance: Alfred Corbett, donated to the National Equal Justice Library by Joan Corbett Dine. Linear Feet: approximately 10 inches Location: NEJL Archives Stacks, Shelf 2.A.3 BOX 1 Hand Written Notes Notes on Minimum Access "Something About Navajo Tribal Lawyers" D.C. Bar Exam Memo to Senior CAP Staff & Regional CAP Managers, re. Program of Technical Support for Community Action - 3/30/66 OEO National Anti-Poverty Plan FY 1968-72 - 6/66 (four folders) Evaluation of a Community Action Agency, Wichita Kansas - 1960's OEO Planning - Programming - Budgeting - System - 3/14/67 Memo re. Evaluation of Full Year Head Start Program - 4/7/67 OEO Financial Planning - 4/67 Letter Wortman to Corbett - 6/14/68 Clipping re. Frank Carlucci and Alan Cranston Letters from Bettie Roberson to Legal Aid Organizations - 1971-74 Legal Services Reporters, "Making Peace With Poverty" and "Legal Services Under Fire" 3/30/73 Draft and Notes Concerning Meeting of Project Review Board - 1975 Group Legal Review, National Center for Legal Services - March- April 1975 Letter From Charles Lokey - 4/15/75 Legal Services Projects and Project Directors (A Directory) - 9/75 ABA Journal, "Financing Public Interest Law Practice: The Role of the Organized Bar" - 12/75 Letter, Ehrlich to Program Directors, re. communication between home office and filed programs - 12/31/75 NLADA Briefcase with information re. LSC and hand-written notes - 1/76 BOX 2 Field Test Results of Peer Review Quality Assessment of Legal Services, Urban Institute - 2/76 Ehrlich Article in ABA Journal 9/76 Ehrlich, Senate Testimony 5/18/76 LSC News Ehrlich before the 7th Annual Bar Public Relations Workshop, National Association of Bar Executives - 10/7/76 LSC Employee Health Benefits - Fall 1976 LSC News Clippings - 11/11/76 Articles on Lawyers (Grajales, C. Smith) - November December 1976 Memo, Corbett to Tom & Clint, "Son of Umbrella Chart and Scions of the Future" - 3/1/77 The Last Miles (Draft) - 5/10/77 The Last Miles - 5/10/77 Congratulatory Letters upon Corbett's retirement - 1977 Articles about Corbett's Retirement and re. Corbett's nomination for an award - 75/77 Memo, Charles Jones re. Development of the Delivery Systems Study, Analysis and related Data Needs - 10/77 Memo to Ehrlich, "An Alternative Use of Investment Income" - 11/25/77 Draft, Program Management & Evaluation in the LSC: A Recommended Approach, Urban Institute - 12/7/77 Hennigan to Corbett, re. "Momentum on Private Bar Involvement" - 3/3/79 ABA/LSC Pro-Bono Project - Spring 1979 Background Information on the Last Miles and Information about the Corbett Papers - 9/93 |
