Page 131 - 2022AprilBOG

ACCESS TO JUSTICE REPORT APRIL 2022

To: LSBA Board of Governors
From: Monte Mollere, ATJ Director

This memo highlights information on the programs and initiatives of the LSBA’s Access to
Justice Commission, Committee and Department that may be of interest or relevance to the
LSBA Board of Governors. Only activities occurring since the last board meeting are
included in this report. Should you have any questions or require additional background on
any item, I am happy to provide that information.

ATJ Commission

Louisiana Justice For All Project
Alainna Mire, Steering Committee Chair
In late January, the JFA Team conducted community listening sessions in Lake Providence
and Ferriday, Louisiana where surveys were distributed to residents to determine how people
access legal help in the areas identified as civil legal resource deserts. The results of the survey
confirmed previous discussions that highest priority legal needs include successions, estate
planning, and family law. It also confirmed that residents are unaware of existing available
resources. Based on the results, the Steering Committee plans to host several Train-the-Trainer
series, where library and community organization staff will learn about existing resources and
how they can help a patron navigate the continuum of legal help that may be available. These
events will begin taking place at the end of April. The end goal of the project is to develop
access points where these types of services and more will be available at a convenient location
in the identified civil legal desert. A prototype of the access point designs has been created and
is being presented to the possible locations for launch.

Funding Committee
Chris Ralston, Chair
The Funding Committee continues to prepare for the upcoming Legislative Session with the
goal being to secure $1 million in funding for civil legal services. In this effort, members of
the group recently met with Congressional Rep. Julia Letlow’s staff to provide education on
the legal resources and state Rep. Jerome “Zee” Zeringue regarding disaster response after
hurricane Ida. Louisiana Appleseed continues to lead the lobbying effort for the committee and
is also discussing how state ARPA money may be used to support civil legal aid to Louisiana’s
indigent citizens.

SRL Committee
Judge Jeffrey Cashe, Chair
The Self-Represented Litigants Committee continues working on priority activities identified
in the Committee’s strategic plan, which include Access to Justice training for Judges and