Nonprofit Legal E-source

Nonprofit organizations seeking bylaws or tax exemptions need look no further. The University of Arkansas has recently launched Legal E-source, a multimedia online resource for nonprofit leaders at http://www.uacted.uark.edu/legalesource/index.html.

Launched in 2006, Legal E-source earned a grant from the Care Foundation Inc. to continue garnering support for Northwest Arkansas’ nonprofit organizations. The Web site is a collaboration between the University of Arkansas School of Law, the School of Continuing Education and Academic Outreach and the Survey Research Center. It includes video lectures, a glossary of terms and frequently asked questions.

Tim Tarvin, professor of law and the impetus behind the collaboration, said the site will eventually include a more vast array of video topics - legal information that will be passed on pro-bono by professors at the University of Arkansas School of Law.

Jan Huneycutt Lightner, Program Officer at the Care Foundation Inc., said the Web site gives nonprofit leaders free and convenient legal education, enabling them to remain informed and available to serve clients’ needs. She emphasized the hard work by the collaborative team, suggesting the site’s success over a long term.

“As a result, we are able to provide people who would otherwise not be able to afford or access these services with sound legal advice,” Tarvin said.

The collaboration would not have been possible without the support of the Care Foundation Inc. and the advice, support and contributions of Dean Cyndi Nance of the School of Law, Tarvin said.

“I would also like to thank Mary Beth Matthews for her willingness to volunteer her time and knowledge to the project, the School of Continuing Education & Academic Outreach and the Survey Research Center,” Tarvin said.

Nance said the law school is proud to offer such a needed community service. This project would likely not have been possible without the imagination and perseverance of professor Tarvin, she said.

When he’s not leading this collaborative Web site, Tarvin also teaches a transactional clinic at the Law School Legal Clinic that provides additional services to nonprofit organizations. During the clinic, students in their second and third years of law school are able to meet with nonprofit organizations in different settings to convey legal advice and gather feedback. Tarvin said it provides both the nonprofit organizations and students with valuable skills that will serve them better in the long run, and in turn, feedback from the nonprofit leaders ensures that the site will continue to stay up to date with issues relevant to area organizations.

For more information about Legal E-source, visit http://www.uacted.uark.edu/legalesource/index.html.