Page 205 - 2021bogOrientationManual

600,000 Louisiana residents, as uncovered through the Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
Maps portion of the JFA Project. The findings and GIS maps have been used in the Louisiana
Bar Foundation’s civil legal aid media campaign and are featured in the LSBA’s April/May 2021
Bar Journal. The final JFA report with recommendations is available here.

In March 2021, the ATJ Commission was awarded a second grant, funded by The JPB
Foundation, for the Implementation phase of the JFA Project. The ATJ Commission will use the
funds to increase access to civil legal resources in areas with high poverty rates, limited internet
access, and long drive times to the nearest legal aid office or self-help center.

Access to Justice Commission Committees

Building Bridges Committee, Chair Adrienne Wheeler

The mission of the Building Bridges Committee is to address issues where civil legal needs
intersect or flow from contact with the criminal justice system, the ultimate goal being to reduce
barriers to reentry and address Louisiana’s high incarceration rate. The Building Bridges
Committee does this by supporting the crucial ties between the civil and criminal legal aid
communities. The members, which represent the public defender’s office, private bar,
Department of Corrections, social workers, case managers, and civil legal aid providers,
coordinate efforts to address systemic issues in addition to ensuring the provision of legal
services to people currently and formerly incarcerated. The services provided reduce legal
barriers to accessing housing, employment, education, and transportation. This Committee works
closely with the Statewide LA Prisoner Reentry Initiative (LA-PRI)’s Legal Subcommittee, a
program by the Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections, through which
recommendations are presented to address the most pressing issues people face upon release.
Additionally, the Committee works closely with programs offering reentry legal services by
assisting with volunteer attorney recruitment through educational programming and CLE events.

Funding Committee, Chair Chris Ralston
The mission of the Funding Committee is to promote appropriate funding of the Louisiana Civil
Justice System. The focus is on state and federal funding issues.

State Appropriations
Past efforts of the ATJ Funding Committee have focused on a state appropriation for the
Louisiana Legal Services Programs. These efforts were successful for several years with
the state funding of $500,000 included in the Governor’s Executive Budget for the
Louisiana Legal Services Programs. However, with changes of administrations and
reduced state budgets, since FY 2011, the Legal Services Programs have not received an
appropriation.