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Additional Access to Justice Projects

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 30 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), 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 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) 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 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.

● Flood Proof Incubator Project in Baton Rouge, operated in partnership with Southeast
Louisiana Legal Services, Southern University Law Center, and Louisiana State
University Law School, addresses the legal needs of disaster victims, such as clear title
and successions, in East Baton Rouge, Ascension, Point Coupee, and Livingston.

Consumer Debt Working Group

In August 2016, the Access to Justice Committee approved a motion to reconvene the Consumer
Debt Working Group after the publishing of a white paper by volunteers of Louisiana Appleseed

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