Importance of Legal Aid in New Orleans
The provision of legal aid services within the Greater New Orleans area can be a powerful tool for people in retrieving their access to justice. Lawyers, by trade, are leaders who provide insight on access and deliver information that assists clients in understanding their constitutionally protected rights. Every day, people in New Orleans seek assistance from the community because they know it is a resource that they can trust. While pro bono efforts play a critical role, more is needed to cover the legal service needs of those who are most marginalized or at risk of being marginalized.
GNOFS strives to establish a culture of understanding and access for all and is able to ensure that civil legal needs of the underserved are met within the region . Legal aid providers are often at the frontline and constantly working to advance policy changes that can help empower individuals in New Orleans. Legal aid services help promote access to justice, economic stability, aid to those most vulnerable in our society and provide legal assistance to community-based nonprofits who take the lead in many social service programs. All of these efforts have an economic impact on the lives of people living in poverty and vulnerable communities.
The legal aid landscape in New Orleans is diverse. This pie chart reflects the legal aid providers that currently work in New Orleans.
Reaching Out to Legal Aid Services
In New Orleans, legal aid services are accessible through a variety of channels, and residents are encouraged to reach out to these organizations to receive the assistance they need. The two primary legal aid organizations in the New Orleans area residents can contact are Southeast Louisiana Legal Services (SLLS) and the Legal Services Corporation of Louisiana (LSC).
For Southeast Louisiana Legal Services, the contact number is (504) 529-1000, which operates from 8:30 am to 5:00 pm, Monday through Friday. In addition, SLLS’s New Orleans office is located at 901 S. Carrolton Ave., Suite 300, and residents can walk in without an appointment from 9:30 am to 11:00 am and 1:30 pm to 3:30 pm each weekday. Residents are advised to bring any relevant documents pertaining to their case or inquiry.
Legal Services Corporation of Louisiana has a New Orleans office located at 1010 Common St., Suite 1200, and a contact number of (504) 575-2500. The New Orleans office is open from 8:45 am to 4:45 pm, Monday through Friday. LSC also has a central intake number, which provides statewide coverage, and can be reached at (800) 349-0886.
While it’s essential to call ahead before walking into these offices, as availability may vary, residents are strongly urged to seek out their services if they believe they are eligible for free legal aid.
Leading Legal Aid Organizations in New Orleans
Several prominent legal aid organizations serve the New Orleans area of Louisiana, each catering to specific legal needs.
- Orleans Public Defenders: This organization is responsible for providing legal representation to adults who have been charged with a crime but cannot afford their own attorney. It has worked to provide representation for as many people as possible, even using volunteers and supportive organizations to help meet the community’s legal needs.
- Louisiana Legal Services Support Project: This organization looks out for the legal rights of the poor and underrepresented across Louisiana. Its goal is to ensure that all individuals have access to legal representation through clients that are eligible for civil legal aid—including those who are physically, mentally, geographically or financially unable to access legal representation.
- Southeast Louisiana Legal Services: Over the past 40 years, this organization has fought for low-income residents of the Mississippi counties of Orleans, St. Bernard, Jefferson, Plaquemines and St. Tammany as well as the southeastern Louisiana counties of Assumption, Lafourche, St. Charles, St. John the Baptist, Terrebonne, Tangipahoa and Washington. Its services include, among others, housing issues, consumer issues, elder law issues and public benefits.
These are just a few of the legal aid organizations in the New Orleans area dedicated to helping the community.
Determining Legal Aid Eligibility
Eligibility for legal aid in New Orleans is based on a number of criteria including income level, type of legal issue, and vulnerable population status. Because legal aid providers rely heavily on federal and state funding programs to subsidize their services , there are strict laws regarding who qualifies for services. The below chart outlines specific eligibility requirements for legal aid in New Orleans; each legal aid program may have additional requirements.
If you find that you are eligible for legal aid, the next step is to locate the organization that provides the type of service(s) that your matter requires. For further clarification on which organization can assist you with your matter, consult the below flowchart.
Types of Cases Legal Aid Helps With
The broad spectrum of legal aid clients often leads to a wide range of legal issues. In Metro New Orleans, 59% of cases they handle are housing and eviction-related matters — with 38% of the cases being handled for tenant-landlord disputes. The organization also addresses family law and elder law with 10% of cases being for family issues while 4% are elder law related. Employment issues are also handled frequently with 9% of legal aid clients facing employment disputes related to wrongful termination or discrimination.
Legal Aid Success Stories
"Thanks to the Louisiana Bar Foundation and Southeast Louisiana Legal Services for allowing me to provide pro bono services to hurricane victims in southeast Louisiana. I want to thank you on behalf of (my client) for a giving her justice when she was unable to do so herself. What an impact this program has had on her life and those of so many other people in the community." – Wilma C. Mills, Attorney
"On July 14th, I was approved for legal representation by SLLS. Their service was prompt, they referred my case to (attorney) Karen McMillan, who met with me. She informed me that she would take my case, which involves real estate in Florida and Louisiana. I was very pleased with her willingness to represent me in this difficult situation. I highly recommend the Southeast Louisiana Legal Services to those who have limited resources." – Anonymous
"The right to counsel means the right to hope. To have the hope that things might be better or different, if only in small ways, because someone stood up for you." – Catherine E . Womack, Staff Attorney, SLLS
"While I was serving in Iraq in 2006, I was in need of emergency dental treatment as well as mental health treatment for PTSD. I tried to call OIDV but did not know how to properly describe my situation to be screened for my needs. I was referred to a national call center that directed me to the New Orleans OIDV where I received immediate help. The OIDV helped me navigate through the military bureaucracy and get my needs met quickly and efficiently. Without the OIDV I would have had to wait for months to get my issues addressed and would have suffered greatly. The veterans of New Orleans owe a debt of gratitude to OIDV for their hard work and dedication helping us obtain the benefits we so greatly deserve and need. OIDV is Dallas , Houston and Washington’s loss and New Orlean’s gain. Thank you New Orleans! I appreciate how you stepped up to the plate to fill the gap left by the closing of OIDV in Texas . Being home is a good thing and the support I received helped cement my belief in that fact." – Milton E. Bryant, Former Army E-6, Operation Iraqi Freedom II (OIF)