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Additional Access to Justice Projects

Working in conjunction with our Justice partners, the Louisiana State Bar Association’s Access
to Justice Department has been able to produce constructive results on numerous projects. These
justice community initiatives all have the underlying objective of integrating the network of
programs to further provide the best legal services possible to Louisiana’s indigent. Descriptions
of some of the projects undertaken by the department follow.

LIFT Legal Incubator Program

Legal Innovators for Tomorrow (LIFT) is a nationally recognized and first-of-its-kind legal
incubator program in Louisiana. Having worked with 35 attorney participants, the program
promotes access to justice by helping new attorneys build public interest solo and small law
firms that increase legal representation to underrepresented populations and families with limited
means. To accomplish this goal, LIFT offers free resources (such as case management software),
law practice management and technology training, business skills development tools, and a
collaborative work environment to help attorneys build innovative and sustainable public interest
law firms.

LIFT also partners with civil legal aid and nonprofit organizations to create projects that address
specific unmet legal needs in various parts of Louisiana. To date, LIFT has partnered with seven
civil legal aid providers, nonprofit organizations, and universities to operate five different
incubator projects across Louisiana:

● Domestic Violence Project in New Orleans (2015-present), operated in partnership with
the Family Justice Center and Southeast Louisiana Legal Services, works with
participants to increase access to family law legal services to survivors of domestic
violence.

● Immigration Bond Project (2016-2017) in Alexandria was created to increase access to
legal representation for immigrants in bond proceedings in Central Louisiana. This
program was operated in partnership with The Pro Bono Project from 2016-2017 and
provided 150 pro bono hours to immigrants in bond cases in Central Louisiana, where
access to legal representation is less than 10%.

● The Juvenile Re-Entry Assistance Program (JRAP) (2016-2018) in Shreveport, operated
in partnership with the Justice and Accountability Center of Louisiana, provided reentry
legal services to justice-involved youth through pro bono representation and community
outreach.
● The Expungement and Re-Entry Court Incubator Project (2016-2018) in New Orleans
and Jefferson, operated in collaboration with the Justice and Accountability Center of
Louisiana to reduce recidivism and increase job opportunities for people after
incarceration.