NEW ORLEANS LAWYERS BRING FREE LEGAL AID TO KATRINA SURVIVORS

WASHINGTON, D.C. (November 29, 2006) – Equal Justice Works Lawyers are playing an integral role in the lives of thousands of Hurricane Katrina survivors. Harnessing the help of hundreds of law student and lawyer volunteers, the Equal Justice Works Katrina Initiative continues to help New Orleans residents rebuild their lives.

After Katrina, residents of New Orleans faced unprecedented legal and personal challenges as they rebuilt their lives. Thousands of families and individuals needed to file for insurance claims, FEMA benefits, affordable housing, medical benefits, and more. Meanwhile, legal aid organizations in the area were struggling to handle to mushrooming needs of new clients, due to the evacuation and relocation of many area attorneys and their staff members.

Equal Justice Works established the Katrina Initiative a year ago to respond to the many legal needs of the areas hardest hit by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Working through three programs under the initiative, the organization has placed 19 lawyers and 65 law students at nonprofit organizations in the field in Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas, and Alabama. They are helping the hundreds of thousands of people left without homes, jobs, and access to health care and social services due to the damage from the hurricanes.

For example, Miles Swanson, an Equal Justice Works AmeriCorps Attorney with the Pro Bono Project in New Orleans, is assisting people with bankruptcy and mortgage foreclosure issues. By developing new case management tools that assist lawyers and law students with intake and referral services, Mr. Swanson is improving efficiency at a time when it is desperately needed.

More than one year after the hurricanes hit, New Orleans residents are facing new bankruptcy and housing problems and Mr. Swanson's volunteers stand ready to help. Mr. Swanson has held several clinics and seminars on bankruptcy and insurance claims where law students and volunteer attorneys help New Orleans residents apply for protections and benefits. He also hosts 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," Mr. Swanson said. "The real challenge is handling the legal problems that are only appearing now."

"The volunteers involved in the project are really making a difference in the lives of New Orleans residents on an individual basis," Mr. Swanson said. "The real challenge is handling the legal problems that are only appearing now."

Sarah McMorris, an Equal Justice Works Katrina Legal Fellow at Southeast Louisiana Legal Services, is battling the myriad of housing problems many New Orleans residents are encountering. She assists homeowners with insurance claims, FEMA appeals, and legal problems that arise with rebuilding. Her fellowship is made possible by the support of Debevoise & Plimpton LLP.

Ms. McMorris is a powerful advocate for renters preventing illegal evictions. It is critical for tenants to quickly get this type of representation because the eviction process is ruthlessly efficient in New Orleans. And due to sky-rocketing rents and the lack of affordable housing, those who are evicted may not have anywhere else to go.

"There were about 7000 public housing units before the hurricane and now there are only 1000 occupied units." Ms. McMorris said. "Affordable housing desperately needs to be a priority of the long-term rebuilding plan in Louisiana by the state, local and federal government."

Through the hard work of Ms. McMorris and her volunteers, she hopes that changes are on the way for low-income individuals in the New Orleans area.

Steven Parker, an Equal Justice Works Katrina Legal Fellow with the Louisiana Capital Assistance Center, works closely with volunteers to improve access to justice for the underserved. Through his fellowship, Mr. Parker represents individuals subjected to unconstitutional confinement and unjust treatment as a result of the collapsed criminal justice system following Hurricane Katrina.

Some individuals had been sitting in jail for up to 60 days without being charged and as long as 16 months without counsel. The closing of courts caused many individuals to miss their trial dates. Clerical errors have also caused problems - and even jail time - for people who needed to pay fines and court costs while New Orleans was evacuated. Mr. Parker holds the criminal justice system in New Orleans accountable by ensuring clients receive timely and adequate representation.

"The justice system is working better now than it did four months ago thanks to the support of the Equal Justice Works Katrina Initiative and the hard work of volunteer lawyers and students," Mr. Parker said. "However, there is a long way to go. There is still a great need to make justice possible for the unfairly incarcerated."

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; Ohio State Bar Foundation Hurricane Katrina Legal Relief Fund; 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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