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Southeast Louisiana Legal Services 2017 Annual Report

Law School Partnerships Expand Access to Justice

Since its inception, SLLS has proudly worked with law schools and students to expand access to justice.
Activities include summer clerkships, externships, law clinics, alternate break volunteer opportunities,
training efforts, and post-graduate Fellowships. A few examples of our law school partnerships include:

Loyola New Orleans College of Law: “Graduates for Justice”
The Gillis Long Poverty Law Center affiliated with Loyola University’s New Orleans College of Law has
been a strong supporter of SLLS for decades. Their latest programs provide paid post-graduate internships.
The Graduates for Justice program offers full-time, short-term employment to recent graduates waiting for
summer bar exam results. Postgraduate interns work for eight weeks with local civil legal aid offices gaining
valuable legal experience and skills while assisting vulnerable people in our community. SLLS is honored to
be a partner in this new one-of-a-kind initiative filling a service gap.

Pictured above: Deanna Cuevas, Urvi Patel, and
McKayla Smith, the 2017 Graduates for Justice

LSU Paul M. Hebert Law Center: “Flood Proof Successions and Title Clearing Clinic”
Following the 2016 flood in Baton Rouge, SLLS formed and led a five-member collaborative partnership
including the Paul M. Hebert Law Center. Working with SLLS, LSU created its first Succession Clinic to
help flooded homeowners obtain clear title to heir property so they can receive recovery funding. Since the
project’s inception, 106 flooded homeowners have received free legal help to unlock $3,045,763 in
recovery funds or other economic benefits. The Clinic works to help low-income people get the legal proof
needed to show they own their home that is typically required for FEMA funds, insurance proceeds, loans,
or rebuilding resources.

2017 Annual Report