FELLOWSHIP AWARDED TO ATTORNEY TO HELP LOUISIANA
RESIDENTS WITH DISABILITIES RECOVER FROM HURRICANE KATRINA

WASHINGTON, D.C. (July 31, 2006) – One of nine experienced public interest lawyers who will provide legal services to Gulf Coast residents in the wake of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita has been selected by Equal Justice Works. Candice Sirmon has been appointed as an Equal Justice Works Katrina Legal Fellow at the Advocacy Center in New Orleans, Louisiana. The fellowship is sponsored by Greenberg Traurig, LLP.

As her fellowship gets underway, Ms. Sirmon 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. Ms. Sirmon will establish trusts for those with special needs to help them qualify for Medicaid benefits, as well as handle Medicaid appeals and guardianships.

"People with disabilities displaced by Hurricane Katrina deserve to live in the environment of their choosing and as independently and successfully as possible," said Sirmon. "I hope this fellowship will give a greater voice to people with disabilities to bring to the forefront their need for independence."

Previously, Ms. Sirmon served as a legal advisor to the International Rescue Committee's Anti-Human Trafficking Initiative and as a consultant for the organization's response to Hurricane Katrina. She earned bachelor's and master's degrees in Criminal Justice Administration from Troy University and a law degree from Loyola University School of Law in New Orleans. After law school, Ms. Sirmon clerked for Alabama Supreme Court Justice Lyn Stuart.

"Candice will play an important role in assisting persons with disabilities who were displaced by Hurricane Katrina and in many cases, placed in over restrictive housing," said Lois Simpson, Executive Director of the Advocacy Center. "We are grateful to Equal Justice Works and Greenberg Traurig for making this fellowship possible and helping persons with disabilities to live in the communities of their choice."

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; 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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