Gillis Long Social Justice Fellowship Program | Loyola University New Orleans

The Gillis Long Poverty Law Center and Southeast Louisiana Legal Services partner to offer the Gillis Long Social Justice Fellowship to a recent Loyola College of Law graduate who works for one year in one of SLLS' six offices, serving the unmet legal needs of the community.

2016-2017 Fellow: Scott Ledbetter
2017-2018 Fellow: Rachel Campbell
2018-2019 Fellow: Kristina Bison
2019-2020 Fellow: Andrew Maberry
2020-2021 Fellows: Constance Tullier and Christopher Kerrigan
2021-2022 Fellow: Chloe Rippel
2022-2023 Fellow: Chanelle Johnson

Southeast Louisiana Legal Services (SLLS) is the largest non-profit law firm in Louisiana, serving twenty-two parishes east of the Atchafalaya basin. SLLS has offices in Baton Rouge, Covington, Hammond, Harvey, Houma and New Orleans. The organization provides free civil legal aid to low-income households and other vulnerable people.

2024 Fall Gillis Long Social Justice Fellowship Program

The Gillis Long Poverty Law Center and Southeast Louisiana Legal Services jointly offer the Gillis Long Social Justice Fellowship Program to recent Loyola New Orleans College of Law graduates. We are accepting applications for the 2024 Fall Gillis Long Social Justice Fellowship Program.

Southeast Louisiana Legal Services (SLLS) is the largest non-profit law firm in Louisiana and provides free civil legal aid to low-income households. SLLS serves twenty-two parishes east of the Atchafalaya basin with offices in Baton Rouge, Covington, Gretna, Hammond, Houma, Luling, and New Orleans.

SLLS anticipates hiring three Gillis Long Social Justice Fellows to begin in October 2024. During the one-year fellowship, fellows will be employed as attorneys by SLLS. Applicants must be May 2024 J.D. candidates of Loyola University New Orleans College of Law and must pass the July 2024 Louisiana Bar Exam. The fall fellows will be selected during Spring 2024.

2024 Fall Fellowships: *Applicants should indicate interest in one or all fellowships in their cover letter.*

1. NORTHSHORE ACCESS TO JUSTICE FELLOW

The Fellow will be located at SLLS' Covington office providing free legal services to low-income, vulnerable populations living in St. Tammany, Washington, and Tangipahoa parishes. The Fellow will provide legal representation in evictions, landlord-tenant cases, heir property work to preserve homeownership such as successions, and estate planning. The Fellow will be supervised by SLLS Managing Attorney Marie Ducre who has almost 27 years' of experience in these areas of law. The Fellow will assist with community outreach events along with the SLLS team at senior centers, housing fairs, and with other partners. The Fellow will participate in biweekly housing practice group meetings and will have numerous opportunities for training and mentorship from other SLLS team members in addition to their supervisor.

2. DOMESTIC VIOLENCE FELLOW - NEW ORLEANS

The Fellow will be located at the SLLS satellite office in the New Orleans Family Justice Center
along with five other attorneys, two support staff members, and a social worker. The fellow will represent survivors of intimate partner violence in obtaining Protection Orders and in custody and divorce cases in Orleans Parish. The fellow will benefit from substantial training and support from attorneys and staff with years of experience representing survivors. The Fellow will be supervised by Managing Attorney Jessica Wood Williams who has almost a decade of experience providing trauma-informed civil legal aid to survivors of domestic violence.

3. CHILD IN NEED OF CARE FELLOW - GREATER NEW ORLEANS AREA

The Fellow will be located at either the SLLS New Orleans or Gretna office as part of our growing Child Welfare multi-disciplinary team of attorneys, social workers, and a peer support advocate. SLLS is court appointed to represent abused/neglected children who have been taken into the foster care system. The Fellow will work closely with their supervisor and will be assigned cases in one or more greater New Orleans parishes. The Fellow will be supervised by Mary McMillian who has dedicated her career to representing children in the foster care system. The Fellow will attend the annual Child in Need of Care Conference and have several opportunities for training and professional development from their supervisor and other team members.

Ideal fellowship candidates will demonstrate:

Proficiency in written and oral communication, client counseling, advocacy, and social service referrals.
Dependability, ability to respond to emergencies, good work habits, self-motivation, capacity to work well with others.
Commitment to working with underserved legal communities as part of a dynamic team.

One fellow will be selected for the Monica and Mark Surprenant Graduate Award, which provides funds that will be used as additional support for one of the Fall Gillis Long Social Justice Fellows. The attorney who accepts the fellowship may be eligible for additional funds up to $10,000.00. Details are available below.

Full-time staff attorney positions, including Fellowships, require admission to practice law in Louisiana. SLLS does not permit the outside practice of law. Starting salary for a full-time staff attorney is approximately $56,000. Spanish-English bilingualism and/or Vietnamese-English bilingualism is a plus that receives extra compensation. The Fellow may qualify for loan forgiveness programs offered by the Louisiana Bar Foundation, the Legal Services Corporation, or their law school if employed for a full year with SLLS. It is incumbent upon the selected candidate to make those applications for loan forgiveness.

SLLS is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, age, disability, or veteran status.

The Monica and Mark Surprenant Graduate Award

The Gillis Long Poverty Law Center and Southeast Louisiana Legal Services are delighted to partner with Monica and Mark Surprenant to offer the Monica and Mark Surprenant Graduate Award, which provides funds that will be used as additional support for ONE Fall Gillis Long Social Justice Fellowship. This award will increase the salary of one fellow who continues working for Southeast Louisiana Legal Services (SLLS). One of the 2024 Fall Gillis Long Social Justice Fellows will receive the 2024 Graduate Award Recipient, an installment of $5,000 upon passage of the July 2024 Louisiana Bar Exam, which will then allow the recipient to be officially recognized as a practicing lawyer at SLLS. If the recipient does NOT pass the July 2024 Louisiana Bar Exam, he/she will not receive the Award, even if he/she subsequently passes the February 2025 Louisiana Bar Exam. A second $5,000 installment will be paid to the recipient in July 2026, assuming the Fellow is still working as a lawyer at SLLS on that date. The award is contingent on continued employment at Southeast Louisiana Legal Services after the one year Gillis Long Social Justice Fellowship ends.