Legal Aid of Marin

“After preparation of the return by the cpa firm is complete, the 990 is reviewed and approved by the audit committee. It is the practice of legal aid of marin to circulate the 990 to the finance committee and to all members of the board.”

“Legal aid of marin (lam) encourages the active involvement of its staff and its directors in the community. In order to deal openly and fairly with actual and potential conflicts of interest that may arise as a consequence of this involvement, lam has adopted the following conflicts of interest policy. 1. A potential conflict of interest arises whenever lam contemplates a decision with financial consequences for lam involving a vendor, consultant or service delivery partner with which a director or staff member is affiliated. Affiliation means the close involvement within 12 months preceding the decision with a vendor, paid consultant, or service delivery partner on the part of (a) a director of lam, (b) a staff member of lam, or (c) the spouse or equivalent, parents, or children of a director or staff member. Affiliation includes, but is not limited to, serving as a board member, employee, or consultant to the service delivery partner, consultant, or vendor or doing business with the service delivery partner, consultant or vendor. 2. A staff member who is affiliated with a prospective vendor, paid consultant, or service delivery partner shall abstain from participating in any decision with financial consequences for lam involving that vendor, consultant, or service delivery partner. A director who is affiliated with a prospective vendor, paid consultant, or service delivery partner shall abstain from voting with regard to any transaction with financial consequences to lam involving that person and, after disclosing his or her interest, shall leave the room during discussion and while the vote is taken. 3. The lam board of directors, as well as key staff members, will be required to disclose annually any interests that could rise to conflicts as described above. 4. Lam may engage in a transaction to award funds or to contract with a service delivery partner, paid consultant, or vendor with whom a director or staff member is affiliated, only if the following conditions are met prior to the transaction: a. The affiliated person shall disclose to the board of directors the existence of the affiliation. B. The board of directors (or the executive committee, when it acts without the full board) shall review the material facts. The transaction may be approved only if a majority of the directors, not counting the vote of any director who is an affiliated person with regard to this transaction concludes that: the proposed transaction is fair and reasonable to lam and would serve lam's own goals and purposes. 5. The minutes of any meeting at which such a decision is taken shall record the nature of the affiliation disclosed by the affiliated person and reviewed by the board of directors or its executive committee.”

“Legal aid of marin makes its governing documents, conflict of interest policy, and financial statements available to the public upon request.”