Page 201 - 2020OrientationBOG

Over the past few years, the LSBA’s “Access to Justice Committee’s Disaster Plan for Legal
Assistance” has been implemented 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. In response to COVID-19, the subcommittee
began meeting in anticipation of a federal disaster declaration, only to discover that the federal
disaster declaration did not include legal services. Since legal services were not included in the
disaster declaration, the hotline was not activated. Nevertheless, the subcommittee continues to
meet to discuss issues related to the pandemic.

Pro Bono Subcommittee, Elena Perez, Chair

This subcommittee is tasked with developing and supporting activities coordinated through local
pro bono entities to engage the private bar and judiciary in pro bono efforts, as well as recognizing
those who actively provide volunteer legal services. This subcommittee has been active most
recently in assisting Lagniappe Law Lab in revising the statewide pro bono website,
probono.net/la.

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 differing levels of court access in
different courts. Attempts to remind the judiciary and clerks of courts of specific IFP rules and the
law’s intent to liberally interpret access to courts for indigent citizens were, at best, short-term
successes. Support of Access to Justice Commission members resulted in a successful response
from the Louisiana State Law Institute (LSLI) to review the Louisiana IFP and related statutes.
The recommendations of the LSLI were included in a bill to the Louisiana legislature during its
2020 session. Unfortunately, the bill changing the IFP statutes was not taken up in the session that
was limited due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This subcommittee will continue to advise the LSLI
and follow the efforts to ensure consistency in the application of the IFP statutes, thus ensuring
equal access to the courts.

P
A
G