The Adopt-A-Neighborhood Project (“AAN”) is a collaborative project between Legal Aid of Western Missouri (“Legal Aid”), seven private law firms and seven urban core neighborhoods in Kansas City, Missouri. Each law firm “adopts” one of these neighborhoods, and volunteer attorneys provide free civil legal services to low-income residents, neighborhood associations and local nonprofits that serve the neighborhoods.

All seven participating neighborhoods were invited to join AAN because of their strong and active neighborhood association boards, lack of legal counsel, missions to serve low-income residents, and most of the neighborhoods are in areas that experience high rates of violent crime.

 A lack of access to legal services has led to many of the neighborhood-wide issues we see in Kansas City's urban core today, such as neighborhood blight, crime and violence. However, with access to the free legal services available through AAN, low-income residents and groups in these neighborhoods are empowered to effectively advocate for, mobilize and transform their communities into safe, stable environments for all to freely access and enjoy. 

The current participating firms and neighborhoods are partnered as follows: Kutak Rock LLP-Blue Hills; Stinson LLP-Marlborough; Polsinelli PC-Key Coalition; Lathrop GPM LLP-Tri-Blenheim; Dentons US LLP-Wendell Phillips & Downtown East; Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP-Town Fork Creek; and Shook, Hardy & Bacon LLP-Ruskin Heights.

Locations

Click on the window icon (upper right corner) of the map below to expand. List of all program locations is included with expanded view of map. Locations are also listed on this page below the map.