Page 258 - 2019 Orientation Manual

Over the past few years, the LSBA’s “Access to Justice Committee’s Disaster Plan for Legal
Assistance” has been implements on numerous occasions. As provided in the plan, the
subcommittee facilitates regularly scheduled meetings, activates the LSBA Disaster Response
website, and monitors the needs in Louisiana to determine the best assistance the LSBA and the
civil legal aid providers can offer to those affected.

Gap Assessment Subcommittee, Luz Molina, Chair

Examining the legal needs of Louisiana residents and the ability of the legal providers in the Justice
Community to meet these needs, this committee commissioned a civil legal unmet needs study to
identify civil legal needs of indigent Louisiana individuals which cannot be met through current
methods or resources. Two researchers from two of Louisiana’s sister universities conducted the
survey and a report was released in January 2019. Two of the most striking findings are the
difficulty of measuring unmet civil legal needs and that 44% of respondents did not know where
to find low or no-cost legal assistance. Factors affecting both findings are poverty, culture,
disability, age, lack of knowledge or confidence, lack of power and resources, and the plain
inaccessibility of services in pursuing a remedy or assistance hinders citizens’ ability to find legal
help when needed. The report made recommendations to increase the civil justice community’s
ability to address unmet legal needs.

Pro Bono Subcommittee, Kathleen Legendre & Elena Perez, Co-Chairs

This subcommittee is tasked with support of activities coordinated through local pro bono entities
to engage the private bar and judiciary in pro bono efforts, develop activities which support
increased involvement and to recognize those who actively provide volunteer legal services.

In Forma Pauperis Subcommittee, Jeff Coreil, Chair

This subcommittee has reviewed past efforts of the civil justice community and Access to Justice
Commission committee to develop a strategy for impacting the ongoing variances applied to in
forma pauperis (IFP) laws and procedures, which produce a different level of court access
depending on the court. Attempts to remind the judiciary and clerks of specific IFP rules and the
law’s intent to liberally interpret access to courts for indigent citizens were, at best, short-term
successes. Although the amount of unpaid costs has been offered as a reason to disregard IFP rules,
clerks have been unable to provide actual figures in support of this claim, hence, the committees
are unable consider other solutions having to do with costs. This subcommittee is searching to ask
the Louisiana State Law Institute to review the procedures with a legislative resolution based on
unequal access to courts.

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