(March 23, 2006)
Allegheny County Chief Executive Dan Onorato today announced that the Allegheny County Adoption Legal Services Project (ALSP) was named among the Top 50 Government Innovations for 2006 by the Ash Institute for Democratic Governance and Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government. ALSP is now a semifinalist for the Innovations in American Government Awards—considered the “Oscars” of government—and is eligible to win one of seven $100,000 grants. The awards are given by the Ash Institute and Kennedy School in cooperation with the Council for Excellence in Government.

The Adoption Legal Services Project was conceived in early 1996 when newly appointed Allegheny County Human Services Director Marc Cherna and then Administrative Family Court Judge Max Baer decided to take action regarding the 1,600 children in foster care awaiting adoption, which sometimes took as long as five years to finalize. The pair appealed to Reed Smith Shaw & McClay (now Reed Smith LLP) for pro bono services to help clear the backlog of adoptions and to the Pennsylvania Public Welfare Department’s Statewide Adoption Network (SWAN) for technical assistance. Both organizations agreed to help, with Reed Smith providing attorneys to handle adoption proceedings, as well as office space, while SWAN funded the attorneys’ work.

“I am very proud of the public-private partnership that has made it possible for Allegheny County to expedite adoption-related court proceedings for hundreds of children who need homes and families,” said Onorato. “Being chosen as a finalist for this prestigious award is a great honor for Allegheny County, but it is one that could not have happened without the daily commitment from attorneys at the Reed Smith law firm.”

During the project’s second year of operation, Allegheny County finalized 515 adoptions, more than double the number for 1996, and nearly equal to the total completed in the previous four years. Over the past nine years, more than 200 Reed Smith attorneys have contributed nearly 4,000 hours of service and completed 818 adoptions. The estimated value of the pro bono services is $500,000. ALSP is an on-going collaboration, and there is no longer a backlog of adoptions waiting to be finalized.

“Many of our attorneys consider our work with the Adoption Legal Services Project to be the most valuable work we do,” said Ann P. Cahouet, Esq., who directs the project for Reed Smith. “We play a part in helping hundreds of children emerge from lives of crushing abuse and neglect, and we celebrate with these children on the day the court finds their adoptive parents’ love to be a commitment for life.”

Eighteen finalists from the Top 50 Government Innovations for 2006 will be announced on May 4 during Public Service Recognition Week. Five winners and two special awards will be announced on July 10 at a ceremony in Washington, D.C. The seven awardees will each receive $100,000 grants.

For additional information about the Adoption Legal Services Project, please visit www.county.allegheny.pa.us/dhs/CYFnew/alsp.htm.

 PDF Version