Southeast Louisiana Legal Services Corporation receives $282,000 for pro bono initiative
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Kathryn Fanlund
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WASHINGTON—The Legal Services Corporation (LSC) is awarding $282,365 to Southeast Louisiana Legal Services (SLLS). The LSC Pro Bono Innovation Fund (PBIF) grant will enable the nonprofit legal services organization to expand efforts to engage volunteers in assisting low-income Louisianans with their civil legal problems.
SLLS will use its PBIF grant to expand its community-based Wills Plus Clinics, helping homeowners and cancer patients create wills, powers of attorney and advance directives before disasters or health crises occur. Building on Louisiana’s successful Will Generator platform, SLLS will host 10 clinics in underserved parishes in partnership with trusted community and medical organizations, allowing clients to leave with completed and notarized documents the same day.
SLLS will recruit and train pro bono attorneys and other volunteers for clinics while providing SLLS staff support for clients who need more complex estate-planning assistance. These clinics will strengthen disaster preparedness and increase pro bono engagement in communities with limited access to estate-planning services.
With limited capacity and resources, legal services organizations nationwide depend upon volunteers to expand the reach of legal assistance in their local communities. Low-income Americans do not receive any or enough legal help with 92% of their civil legal problems.
Since the PBIF grant program began in 2014, LSC has awarded 200 grants totaling more than $55 million. Funding for the PBIF program is included in LSC’s congressional appropriation.
Members of Congress congratulated SLLS on receiving a pro bono grant.
“All Louisianans deserve access to legal aid, no matter their financial circumstance,” said Sen. Bill Cassidy. “This grant will allow Southeast Louisiana Legal Services to expand its Wills Plus Clinics and provide legal help to cancer patients and homeowners across the state. I am proud to have helped secure this funding so legal assistance can be brought directly to Louisiana’s underserved communities and help families better prepare for the unexpected.”
“Your rights shouldn’t depend on your paycheck. Across southeast Louisiana, families facing eviction, recovering from disasters, or seeking earned benefits rely on legal help to protect their homes and futures," said Rep. Troy A. Carter, Sr. (LA-2). "Southeast Louisiana Legal Services helps neighbors be heard, treated fairly, and get back on their feet. I’m proud this grant supports their vital work—and I encourage others to join us in strengthening our communities by supporting Southeast Louisiana Legal Services.”
More information about the Pro Bono Innovation Fund is available here.