FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 22, 2006
CONTACT:
James Greif, Communications Manager
Phone: (202) 466-3686 ext. 137
ALABAMA LAWYERS HELP HURRICANE SURVIVORS REBUILD LIVES
WASHINGTON, D.C. (May 22, 2006) – Alabama hurricane survivors are about to receive essential legal help from two attorneys serving with the Pro Bono Legal Corps (PBLC), an AmeriCorps program run by Equal Justice Works that improves access to justice by providing legal services to people in need. Stephanie Blackburn and Hilary Funk have been named AmeriCorps Attorneys and will serve with Legal Services Alabama recruiting law student volunteers to give legal advice to people whose lives were devastated by Hurricane Katrina. Blackburn will help evacuees in temporary housing overcome legal barriers to secure permanent housing and Funk will direct statewide disaster hotline initiatives and provide community outreach and educational programs.
"I am very excited about this opportunity to make a difference in my community," Blackburn said. "Assisting disaster survivors and the underserved in Alabama is fulfilling work."
"This position provides me with the tools to improve the lives of Gulf Coast residents," said Funk. "I appreciate the forum to serve Alabama's under-represented populations and help the legal community better respond to future disasters."
Previously, Blackburn served as an extern for the Tuscaloosa County Public Defender's Office and for The Honorable Karon O. Bowdre of the U.S. District Court, Northern District of Alabama. Funk served as a judicial clerk for The Honorable Truman McGill Hobbs, Jr. of Alabama's 15th Judicial Circuit Court. Both attorneys earned bachelor's and law degrees from the University of Alabama.
"The incredible energy and enthusiasm exhibited by our new Equal Justice Works/AmeriCorps Attorneys, adds a great deal to our organization," said Melissa Pershing, Executive Director of Legal Services Alabama. "Hilary and Stephanie will play a vital role in expanding our capacity to provide legal assistance to victims of disasters in the Gulf Coast region."
The Equal Justice Works Katrina Initiative has been established to address the many legal needs of the areas hardest hit by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Through three programs under the initiative, Equal Justice Works is placing a total of 19 lawyers and 65 law students at nonprofit organizations located in Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas and Alabama to help the hundreds of thousands of people left without homes, jobs, access to health care and social services due to the damage from the hurricanes.
The Equal Justice Works Katrina Initiative is made possible through the support of a $1 million matching grant from the JEHT Foundation. The following groups have contributed to fund the program: The Association of Corporate Counsel; Corporation for National and Community Service; Debevoise & Plimpton LLP; Greenberg Traurig, LLP; Latham & Watkins LLP; Mintz Levin Cohn Ferris Glovsky and Popeo P.C.; Nixon Peabody LLP; Pfizer Inc; and Sutherland Asbill & Brennan LLP. For more information about the initiative, visit www.equaljusticeworks.org/katrina-initiative.
The Corporation for National and Community Service provides opportunities for Americans of all ages and backgrounds to serve their communities and country through three programs: Senior Corps, AmeriCorps and Learn and Serve America. Together with the USA Freedom Corps, the Corporation is working to build a culture of citizenship, service and responsibility in America. For more information, visit www.nationalservice.gov.
Legal Services Alabama (LSA) is an independent, nonprofit organization that provides qualifying low-income families with legal aid and assistance in civil matters. LSA is a statewide program serving all 67 counties in Alabama. For more information about LSA, visit www.alabamalegalservices.org.
Equal Justice Works, a nonprofit, nonpartisan 501(c)(3)
organization, was founded in 1986 by law students dedicated to working
for equal justice on behalf of underserved communities and causes. Today,
Equal Justice Works is the national leader in creating summer and postgraduate
public interest opportunities for law students and lawyers as well as
in urging more public interest programming at law schools. For more information
about Equal Justice Works, visit www.equaljusticeworks.org.
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