The Equal Justice Works Katrina Initiative was established to address the many legal needs in areas hardest hit by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. This program is placing lawyers and law students at nonprofit organizations 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 2005 hurricanes.

Equal Justice Works has obtained a $1 million matching grant from the JEHT Foundation to sponsor public interest attorneys to work in the Gulf Coast region for up to two years, providing direct legal services to Gulf Coast residents and generating pro bono opportunities for lawyers and law students.

Support is still needed for the Katrina Legal Fellows. This important work can continue as sponsors come forward with the remaining $60,000 needed for the program. These funds, provided by gifts of any amount, will also be matched by the JEHT Foundation.

For more information on how you can help, please contact:

John Dyess
(202) 466-3686 ext. 115
jdyess@equaljusticeworks.org

Updates

With 19 Katrina Legal Fellows and Equal Justice Works AmeriCorps Attorneys serving in Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas and Alabama in 2006, much has been accomplished to help Gulf Coast residents rebuild their lives in the 15 months since Hurricanes Katrina and Rita struck. Harnessing the help of hundreds of law student and lawyer volunteers, the Equal Justice Works Katrina Legal Fellows and AmeriCorps Attorneys have played an integral role in the lives of thousands of hurricane survivors. Here are some highlights:

"Last week we prevented 144 families from facing 24-hour evictions. They will be able to stay in their homes through the holidays and will receive assistance from social workers to help them find suitable housing." - Sarah McMorris, Equal Justice Works Katrina Legal Fellow for Southeast Louisiana Legal Services in New Orleans, Louisiana

"I have held numerous clinics and seminars on bankruptcy and insurance claims where law students and volunteer attorneys help New Orleans residents apply for protections and benefits. I also host weekly general legal aid clinics that help citizens tackle issues related to housing, domestic violence, employment and other matters. The volunteers involved in the project are really making a difference in the lives of New Orleans residents on an individual basis. The real challenge is handling the legal problems that are only appearing now." - Miles Swanson, Equal Justice Works AmeriCorps Attorney at Pro Bono Project in New Orleans, Louisiana

"Too little has changed in the post-Katrina environment for the people who lost their housing. More than 30,000 trailers containing over 90,000 residents remain in place because permanent replacement affordable housing does not exist. Mississippi's vaunted homeowner recovery program has so far issued approximately 2,500 checks. My focus has remained the same but I have changed tactics, from an emphasis on direct service and workshops, to an emphasis on consensus-building within and between advocacy groups, the private sector and government." - Reilly Morse, Katrina Legal Fellow at Mississippi Center for Justice in Biloxi, Mississippi

"My most rewarding experience so far has been preventing FEMA from erroneously recouping benefits from clients who were eligible for the disaster assistance they received. It remains a challenge to present to a world that has Katrina fatigue that many who face recoupment claims are not guilty of fraud. Further, we face the challenge of pointing out that FEMA's system, some 15 months post-disaster, is still plagued with problems for those who are desperately in need of assistance. This includes a deficient appeals process and a failure to properly train representatives on FEMA policy to ensure uniformity in the application of rules and procedures." - Ranie Thompson, Equal Justice Works Katrina Legal Fellow at Southeast Louisiana Legal Services in New Orleans, Louisiana

"While the first six months of my fellowship have been focused on short-term stabilization and rights issues, I anticipate more detailed and specific legal issues to arise as my clients needs and lives change. Among the issues I anticipate are special-needs trusts, housing discrimination, Medicaid, freedom of choice (freedom to chose their provider agency, where to live, where to work and all other choices regarding quality of life) and educating provider agencies on the rights of individuals with waivers for supported independent living." - Candice Sirmon, Equal Justice Works Katrina Legal Fellow at Advocacy Center in New Orleans, Louisiana

"There seems to be a general feeling throughout the country that Hurricane Katrina survivors should be settled by now, but this is just not the case. With the majority of Mississippians on the Gulf Coast losing everything, the rebuilding process was never going to be easy. The fact that rental prices have increased up to 100 percent, insurance payments have been grossly insufficient or held by mortgage companies, and most people still have not received their homeowners' grants have made things all the more difficult. However, a positive outcome from this situation is that legal services organizations in Mississippi are working together more than ever and are creating an integrated call center as a result." - Crystal Utley, Equal Justice Works AmeriCorps Attorney at Mississippi Center for Justice in Jackson, Mississippi

"In early September we were able to obtain a list from the Department of Corrections of all 2,800 inmates then in custody awaiting trial in Orleans Parish. This same time, the Orleans Public Defender's office concluded that it did not have sufficient resources to effectively represent both incoming cases and handle the 'Katrina backlog' of anyone arraigned prior to July 1, 2006. As a 'backlog' case, volunteer attorneys, not Public Defender trial attorneys, would handle it. Using volunteers from around the country, we have been able to gather enough basic information on each of these 2,800 inmates to identify who was in the backlog group and who, of these backlog inmates, needs volunteer representation. As this information was being gathered and organized by student volunteers, we were also able to 'triage' these inmate lists and identify those who were candidates for immediate release. For example, I was able to obtain the release of a defendant who had been incarcerated for the last 17 months due to a clerical mistake regarding his bond. For most of this time, neither the judge nor the Public Defender even realized that he was in detention." - Steven Parker, Katrina Legal at Louisiana Capital Assistance Center in New Orleans, Louisiana

"As a Katrina AmeriCorps Attorney, I have worked with a great deal of nonprofit organizations and community groups, developing legal presentations, doing community outreach and education, and disseminating information. I also work with all three accredited law schools in Alabama on various projects and with various student groups." - Stephanie Blackburn, Equal Justice Works AmeriCorps Attorney at Legal Services Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

"Although I have had more than 800 cases assigned to me in the past six months, I have actually seen more than 2,000 people at the various clinics/settings dealing with hurricane relief work. And there are many more families that need our assistance. Over the coming year, we, as a legal aid community, and others need to review the tremendous need that has been addressed, its evolution, and the needs that still must be investigated, researched and reviewed for action. We must decide the best ways to address the legal problems that flow from disasters." - Maria Luisa Mercado, Equal Justice Works Katrina Legal Fellow at Lone Star Legal Aid in Galveston, Texas

To date, Equal Justice Works has raised $940,000 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:

  • ALM
  • Association of Corporate Counsel
  • Bingham McCutchen
  • Corporation for National and Community Service
  • Debevoise & Plimpton LLP
  • Gilbert Heintz & Randolph LLP
  • Greenberg Traurig, LLP
  • Latham & Watkins LLP
  • Mintz Levin Cohn Ferris Glovsky and Popeo P.C.
  • Nixon Peabody LLP
  • Ohio State Bar Foundation Hurricane Katrina Legal Relief Fund
  • Pfizer Inc
  • Sutherland Asbill & Brennan LLP

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