MISSISSIPPI LAWYER AWARDED FELLOWSHIP TO
HELP RESIDENTS AFFECTED BY HURRICANE KATRINA

WASHINGTON, D.C. (March 27, 2006) – One of nine experienced public interest lawyers who will provide legal services to Gulf Cost residents in the wake of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita has been selected by Equal Justice Works. Jessica Lawson has been appointed as an Equal Justice Works Katrina Legal Fellow at the Mississippi Center for Legal Services Corporation in Gulfport, Mississippi.

As her Fellowship gets underway today, Lawson will advocate for Mississippi hurricane survivors who face foreclosure and eviction, as well as develop a comprehensive strategic plan to improve regional housing codes. She will also promote public awareness of housing rights and help develop a coordinated disaster response system with community leaders.

"I always knew that I wanted to help people through public service," said Lawson. "I strongly believe in the impact that one person can make."

Lawson previously served as an associate attorney for Forman Perry Watkins Krutz & Tardy LLP in Jackson, Mississippi. She also served as a judicial clerk for Chief Judge Roger H. McMillin of the Mississippi Court of Appeals. Recently, Lawson provided volunteer legal services to victims of Hurricane Katrina through the Mississippi Bar Young Lawyers Disaster Legal Assistance Program. She obtained her bachelor's degree and law degree from Mississippi College.

"Jessica will play a vital role in assuring that the less fortunate have meaningful access to the legal system on the coast," said Sam Buchanan, Jr., Executive Director of the Mississippi Center for Legal Services. "Her energy and enthusiasm are a welcome addition to the ongoing efforts to provide legal assistance to victims of Hurricane Katrina. We thank Equal Justice Works and its partners for their support."

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.; Pfizer Inc; and Sutherland Asbill & Brennan LLP. For more information about the initiative, visit www.equaljusticeworks.orgkatrina-initiative.

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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