The Equal Justice Works Katrina Initiative has been established to address the many legal needs of areas hardest hit by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. This new program will place lawyers and students at nonprofit organizations located in Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas and Alabama in order 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.

Since our first progress report on January 24, Equal Justice Works has selected the nine projects and eight host organizations for the Equal Justice Works Katrina Legal Fellowships program. The host organizations are now in the process of interviewing experienced attorneys for these positions and will submit their top candidate selections to Equal Justice Works for approval no later than March 10, 2006. The Fellows will begin work on these projects on a rolling basis as they are approved. The projects are listed by state below:

LOUISIANA

The Advocacy Center
Baton Rouge, Louisiana

The Fellow will work across the State of Louisiana to ensure that displaced individuals with disabilities are resettled in appropriate housing that supports their right to live independently. The Fellow will also establish trusts for those with special needs to help individuals qualify for Medicaid benefits and handle Medicaid appeals and guardianships. This project seeks to empower individuals with disabilities with the knowledge to make the correct legal decisions on the issues that affect their lives.

Louisiana Capital Assistance Center
New Orleans, Louisiana

The Fellow will provide immediate relief for people being held in jail beyond their constitutional release date; conduct systemic litigation and community organizing to address the long-term crisis of criminal defense representation in Louisiana; and represent individuals subjected to unjust treatment during evacuation and/or incarceration following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

Southeast Louisiana Legal Services
New Orleans, Louisiana

The Fellow will prevent illegal evictions; help homeowners obtain insurance and FEMA settlements to rebuild homes; provide legal information regarding flood elevations and zoning issues; and work with other advocacy organizations to ensure that affordable housing is a priority of the long-term rebuilding plan in Louisiana.

Southeast Louisiana Legal Services
New Orleans, Louisiana

The Fellow will address the legal needs of hurricane survivors by obtaining FEMA benefits and other public benefits; ensure access to health care; and work with advocacy groups to develop a community response to the loss of government-provided health care in the disaster area.

MISSISSIPPI

Mississippi Center for Legal Services Corporation
Gulfport and Pascagoula, Mississippi

The Fellow will help hurricane survivors apply for protections to avoid foreclosure; develop a comprehensive strategic plan to improve housing codes and statutes; reduce the number of evictions; conduct community outreach to educate and promote public awareness of housing rights; and assist in the development of a coordinated disaster response effort in order to build a solid foundation for future disasters.

Mississippi Center for Justice
Biloxi, Mississippi

The Fellow will provide legal support, training and pro bono representation that individual low-income homeowners need to keep their homes and make necessary repairs. The Fellow will also provide advocacy before local planning, regulatory and governmental authorities to make affordable housing a goal of the recovery process.

Mississippi Immigrant Rights Alliance/National Immigration Law Center
Biloxi, Mississippi

The Fellow will provide advocacy and representation to ensure that immigrants and refugees are not overlooked or exploited in disaster recovery efforts in Mississippi and Louisiana. The Fellow will also provide direct legal representation to hurricane survivors facing problems accessing public benefits, health care, housing assistance and ensure that all jobs created in the Gulf reconstruction meet basic labor standards.

TEXAS

Lone Star Legal Aid
Beaumont or Houston, Texas

The Fellow will give legal advice and brief service to the large number of clients affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita and will represent individuals and families on cases that require extended service, particularly in the areas of housing, consumer and income maintenance.

Texas Appleseed
Austin, Texas

The Fellow will seek to develop public policies to address housing uncertainty, labor abuses, insurance disputes, environmental pollution, access to health care and benefits disruption. The Fellow will also initiate or participate in litigation against lenders, government agencies and/or landlords and create a mediation program to help hurricane survivors address conflicts without the burden of litigation.

To date, Equal Justice Works has raised more than $620,000, which will be matched dollar for dollar by the JEHT Foundation. Equal Justice Works thanks the following donors for their contributions to fund the Equal Justice Works Katrina Initiative:

• Association of Corporate Counsel
  
• Debevoise & Plimpton LLP
  
• Greenberg Traurig, LLP
  
• Latham & Watkins LLP
  
• Mintz Levin Cohn Ferris Glovsky and Popeo P.C.
  
• Pfizer Inc
  
• Sutherland Asbill & Brennan LLP
  

Thanks to the generosity of ALM, public service advertisements recognizing the contributions from law firms and corporations have appeared in various ALM publications the past several weeks. These public service advertisements will continue over the next several months.