Tell us what you need. Help is on the way!

Louisiana Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers Katrina Relief Blog

The great frustration that many in and outside of the legal community are feeling at this moment is the frustration of not knowing what we can do to help. If you are a displaced Louisiana Criminal Defense Lawyer we want to know what we can do to help you. Tell us where you are, where your office was, what you need to stabilize yourself, your family and your practice.LACDL is responding. Our list-service is up and running, and much good information is being posted. Our executive committee met in a teleconference this morning to begin assessing the impact of Katrina on our organization and what LACDL can do to help its membership rebuild. Participating in the phone conference were NACDL President Barbra Bergman, President-elect Marty Pinales, and Presidents Mike Snure of the Flordia Association of Criminal Defense lawyers and Joe Van Hest of the Alabama associatin of Criminal Defense lawyers. A number of issue were identified that need to be addresed immediately including:
1. An Internet bulliten board to coordinate and match displaced lawyers with members who can provide assistance.
2. Monetary Assistance to help dispalced lawyers rebuidl their practices.
3. Locating incarcerated clients who have been relocated
4. Finding ways to communicate with relocated members
5. The impact of Katrina on scheduled LACDL programs and events

The outpouring of relief is enormous.

NACDL has established established a new Katrina Disaster Bulletin Board. Members in the affected areas can post messages and NACDL members nationwide can respond. The new Bulletin Board is at www.nacdl.org/relief.Members can offer assistance and those in need can learn about the assistance being offered. To access the site, either enter your NACDL user name and password, or enter "katrinarelief" as the user name and "help" as the password. (these are case sensitive)

NACDL has designated Alison Sterling as its Katrina Disaster Relief Coordinator. Her job for the next several months will be to field phone calls and e-mail messages from members in LA, AL, MS, and elsewhere, and to serve as a clearinghouse for offers of help and requests for assistance. She will also be monitoring the new Katrina Disaster Bulletin Board and serve as a conduit for communications among members. Further, Alison will have information available about relief efforts and organizations that are providing humanitarian assistance on-the-ground. Her phone number is 202-872-8600 x248 and her e-mail is alison@nacdl.org.

NACDL members can make tax-deductible contributions to the Foundation for Criminal Justice and its Katrina Disaster Relief Fund online at: http://www.nacdl.org/public.nsf/FoundationGiving?openform. NACDL has donated $5,000 to this fund. After the needs of affected NACDl members are better known NACDL plans to provide cash grants and loans to help defense lawyers get back on their feet.

The Baton Rouge Bar Foundation is also accepting donations to provide monetary aid to lawyers who have lost their homes and offices in the storm. Checks should be payable to the Baton Rouge Bar Foundation; please note on the check "LSBA Hurricane Relief," for more info go to http://www.brba.org.

Many people are offering places to stay. Southern University Law Professor Michelle Ghetti reports that a Baton Rouge group is coordinating to connect those with places to stay with those without places to live. You can access the website at www.shareyourhome.org and input your information. You will then be coordinated, through the organization, with someone who matches your need/offer. Your offer can be specific as to #, types of people, pets, etc. For example, one family with teenage girls didn't want to take in teenage boys. No place is necessarily too far away.

The group of lawyers has legal forms necessary to protect you and the family staying with you and those will be available through the website. If you cannot access the website for some reason, you can call 1-888-827-2525.

The LSBA office in New Orleans is currently inaccessible, but the Baton Rouge Bar Association is providing LSBA with temporary space. The LSBA can restore its communications once it can get access to its servers.

The LACDL Board will meet in Alexandria on Saturday September 17th, to continue focusing our effort to provide relief to our affected members.