Loyola Law Clinic
Post-Katrina Help Site

A Legal Information Resource for Practitioners and Victims

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Justiceforneworleans.org Launched!
Added: October 23, 2005
The Law Clinic's web effort has been moved to a new site, justiceforneworleans.org. This site features breaking news about justice issues, feature articles from correspondents in the field, forums,helpful links and information, and much more. Even though it will no longer be updated, the Post-Katrina Help Site will remain up indefinitely so that you can access its information.

Quigley on New Orleans
Added: October 10, 2005
"They are doing it again! My wife and I spent five days and four nights in a hospital in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. We saw people floating dead in the water. We watched people die waiting for evacuation to places with food, water, and electricity...." [Read More]

The 2005 LOUISIANA LEGAL SERVICES AND PRO BONO DESK MANUAL Now Available in Chapter Form
Added: October 7, 2005
The 2005 LOUISIANA LEGAL SERVICES AND PRO BONO DESK MANUAL is now available in chapter form, making it easier to find the information you need. Click here to see the chapter listing. Thanks to Paul Morini for preparing the files.

New Landlord-Tenant FAQ available
Added: October 7, 2005
Click here to download a new F.A.Q. on hurricane-related Landlord-Tenant Questions. The file is in .pdf format. Thanks to Mark Moreau of New Orleans Legal Assistance for providing us with this.

Orleans Civil Courts to Re-Open in Gonzales October 3rd
Added: September 28, 2005
The Times-Picayune reported today that Orleans Civil Courts will re-open in Gonzales on October 3. The story can be found here.

2005 Desk Manual Now Available
Added: September 26, 2005
The 2005 LOUISIANA LEGAL SERVICES AND PRO BONO DESK MANUAL is now available for download or online viewing here. This handbook is an indispensible guide for practitioners seeking to understand practical points of Louisiana poverty law. Thanks to Creasey Printing and Ramona Fernandez for making this possible. Note that this is a large file (42MB) and will take time to download. As time and technology permit, we will divide the file into different sections by chapter to facilitate downloading.

Update on New Orleans Criminal Courts from Times-Picayune
Added: September 26, 2005
An article appears in today's Times-Picayune which gives at least some information about the future of New Orleans criminal courts. The story appears here. Information received by the Law Clinic indicates that Jefferson Parish courts will re-open on Tuesday, October 11. Orleans Civil District Court has not finalized a plan for re-opening yet.

Another Inconclusive Story About New Orleans Courts
Added: September 25, 2005
To read another story that shows how little progress there is in re-opening New Orleans courts, read the following article from the Associated Press.

FEMA Food Stamp Policy Changed
Added: September 25,2005
FNS issued a new policy today that permits states receiving individuals displaced by Hurricane Katrina to issue one full month's worth of benefits for either September or October, based solely on evacuee status. The applicant household must have lived on August 29 in a county or parish in Alabama, Louisiana, or Mississippi which has been declared by the President to be a disaster area, have moved to another state,and apply by October 31. The state is only required to ask about household size and to verify identity to the extent possible. If the applicant has one of FEMA's $2000 debit cards that is sufficient; otherwise, available documentation or a self-declaration is acceptable. The complete policy is available at: http://www.fns.usda.gov/fsp/rules/Memo/05/nationalenhancedpolicy.pdf.

Update on Legal Services Desk Manual
Added: September 20,2005
As noted below, the 2001 edition of the Louisiana Legal Serivces Desk Manual was all that was available when Katrina hit. Thanks to the efforts of Ramona Fernandez, Assistant Director of the Loyola Law Clinic, the updated version has been located at the printers and book copies will soon be available. We are making every effort to make the manual available on the web as well. Check back with this page or subscribe to our RSS feed to be notified as soon as it is available.

The State of Orleans Courts as of Sep. 11
Added: September 20,2005
On September 11, the L.A. Times ran the following story about the state of New Orleans courts which raises some important questions for the future: Justice System Faces a Deluge of Challenges

Orleans Courts to Re-Open on Football Field?
Added: September 16,2005
At yesterday's Orleans Parish School Board Meeting in Baton Rouge, Interim Superintendent Ora Watson reported that Chief Judge Calvin Johnson is in discussions with the school system to lease the football field at Landry High School on the Westbank as a temporary court facility for most New Orleans courts. Apparently, trailers would be set up to accomodate the individual courts. According to Watson, he wants the courts up and running as soon as possible.

Questions About Paying Your Rent in the Wake of Katrina?
Added: September 15,2005
If you have questions about whether or not you have to pay your rent in the wake of Katrina, go to Lawhelp.org's informative Q & A that can be found here. This article deals with flood and fire damage to apartments under Louisiana law.

Insurance Information Provided by State
Added: September 15,2005
The Louisiana Department of Insurance has provided the following page for those who have questions regarding homeowners or flood insurance. The link can be found here here. We will provide more insurance information in future updates.

People's Lawyer Provides Legal Information
Added: September 15,2005
Prof. Richard M Alderman of the Houston Law School has created a page to answer legal questions for Katrina victims. The site is still a work in progress but will be updated continually. It can be found at http://www.peopleslawyer.net/katrina.html.

Attorney Training in Emergency/Disaster Procedures to Be Held Sept. 15 in Monroe
Added: September 14,2005 | from LSBA.org
The LSBA has scheduled an additional session for attorneys wanting to offer free, short-term legal assistance to hurricane survivors at 1 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 15 at the Federal District Courthouse in Monroe. This free session will last roughly one hour and CLE credit will be given. For a registration form: http://www.lsba.org/home1/disaster_training.asp.

Lawyers Assistance Program Offering Counseling Help by Phone
Added: September 14,2005 | from LSBA.org
William R. Leary, director of the Lawyers Assistance Program, Inc. (LAP), said LAP has contacted trauma and critical incident therapists who have volunteered to help lawyers and their families by telephone. The process offers an informal opportunity for participants to discuss the impact of the hurricane. Go to http://www.lsba.org/home1/lap.asp for the list of therapists'' names and "800" phone numbers. Use the "800" numbers for the initial call, then call LAP at (866)354-9334 for follow-up. Leary said LAP will follow up beyond the crisis with appropriate referrals and the formation of mental health support groups across the state.

HelpKatrinaLawyers.org Now Available Online
Added: September 14,2005 | from LSBA.org
Do you need guidance restoring backed-up data or recovering data from physically damaged computer systems? Do you need answers to other technology questions to get your practice up and running? A group of volunteers, composed of legal technology consultants, practice management advisors and vendors of legal products and services, have joined forces to help. For more information on the resources available, access http://www.HelpKatrinaLawyers.org or visit http://www.lsba.org/home1/NewsDetails.asp?NewsID=21.

Texas Bar Association Makes Materials Available
Added: September 12,2005
The Hurricane Katrina Task Force of the State Bar of Texas has produced "Resource Materials for Responding to Legal Questions From Those Displaced by Hurricane Katrina." This is an excellent resource for advising those in need of legal help. The materials cover myriad legal issues pertinent to storm survivors. Download at http://www.hba.org/frontPage/guide.pdf

Louisiana Legal Services Desk Manual Available Again
Added: September 12,2005
Now that the Loyola web servers are back up, the LOUISIANA LEGAL SERVICES AND PRO BONO DESK MANUAL 2001 is again available for download. The manual is useful for practitioners who need detailed information about various aspects of Louisiana poverty law. Browse to http://law.loyno.edu/gillislong/deskbook.html. Please note that, although the manual was being updated at the time of the storm, this older version is all that is available at this time.

Texas Supreme Court Allows Temporary Admission of Louisiana Attorneys
Added: September 12,2005
The Supreme Court of Texas on September 2 signed an emergency order permitting lawyers displaced by Hurricane Katrina to continue representing clients from temporary offices in Texas. The order will be in effect for 30 days. The order can be read here.

A Message from Bill Quigley
Added: September 12,2005
The Loyola Law Clinic will re-open in Houston along with the rest of Loyola University School of Law. Clinic students will have the opportunity to learn by advocating for and with the evacuees from Louisiana at the Astrodome. Because the Loyola Law Clinic also has clients remaining in Louisiana we will have two missions at this time - one to provide assistance to evacuees in the Houston area and the other to provide ongoing legal representation for our clients remaining in Louisiana. For students interested in learning more, please contact Associate Director Ramona Fernandez at ramonaf25@yahoo.com or by phone at 917.627.1119.

The faculty and staff of Loyola Law Clinic are all safe. Professor Luz Molina is currently in Mississippi, Professor Majeeda Snead in Arkansas, Professor Cheryl Buchert is in Baton Rouge, Associate Director Ramona Fernandez is in NYC, Staff Attorney Judson Mitchell is in Louisiana, Staff Attorney Hiroko Kusada is in Minnesota, Leila Bonilla is in Florida, Bill Quigley is on the way to Philadelphia.
Peace, Bill Quigley