Talk Justice: Episode 115
Rebuilding Lives After Disaster
Leaders of nonprofit law firms discuss their disaster response work for major storms and floods in Texas, North Carolina and Louisiana on Talk Justice. The conversation was recorded at a briefing for the U.S. House of Representatives, where these local leaders educated Congressional staff on the importance of providing legal services in the aftermath of natural disasters. Robert Doggett, Executive Director of Texas RioGrande Legal Aid (TRLA), joined to talk about the July floods in central Texas; Ashley Campbell, executive director of Legal Aid of North Carolina (LANC), spoke about the ongoing response to Tropical Storm Helene; and Laura Tuggle, executive director of Southeast Louisiana Legal Services (SLLS), discussed her state’s history of dealing with major storms like Hurricanes Ida and Katrina.
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Featured Guests
Laura Tuggle
Laura has been the Executive Director of Southeast Louisiana Legal Services (SLLS) since May 2014 after beginning her career there in 1993. Under her leadership, SLLS has grown from 85 to 170 staff including innovative programs such as its Right to Counsel Eviction Program, medical-legal partnerships, domestic violence collaboratives, and its Homeless One Stop Legal Clinic. She managed SLLS’ Housing Law Unit during from 2005-2010 following Hurricane Katrina and is an award-winning advocate.
Ashley Campbell
Ashley Campbell is the CEO of Legal Aid of North Carolina (LANC). She began her career at (LANC) in 2003 representing clients in the areas of landlord tenant and domestic violence. In 2005, Campbell worked at the N.C. General Assembly as a non-partisan staff attorney in the Bill Drafting division and committee counsel to the House Finance Committee. In the years that followed, Campbell became an experienced real estate and commercial litigator at Ragsdale Liggett. She transitioned her practice to Campbell Law School in 2016, where she served as director of the Blanchard Community Law Clinic. She led a team of lawyers, administrators and law students to provide legal services in the areas of criminal record expunction, driver’s license restoration, debt remediation, landlord/tenant and domestic violence representation...
Robert Doggett
Robert Doggett is a native Texan, and unimaginably completed grade school, college and law school within the Lone Star State. Unimpressed with the lack of access to justice for most everyone, he began his public interest career in the throws of law school and hasn’t looked back over three decades later. Although he proclaims some competency in the courtroom, he is currently confined to more administrative duties as Executive Director of Texas RioGrande Legal Aid operating throughout Southwest Texas including all 1,600 miles of the Texas-Mexico border.
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Ronald S. Flagg
Ronald S. Flagg was appointed President of the Legal Services Corporation effective February 20, 2020, and previously served as Vice President for Legal Affairs and General Counsel since 2013. He previously practiced commercial and administrative litigation at Sidley Austin LLP for 31 years, 27 years as a partner. He chaired the firm’s Committee on Pro Bono and Public Interest Law for more than a decade.
Father Pius Pietrzyk
Father Pius Pietrzyk, O.P. was first nominated to serve on the Board of Directors of Legal Services Corporation by President Barack Obama on June 25, 2010, and his nomination was confirmed by the U. S. Senate on September 29, 2010. He currently serves as the Vice-Chairman of the LSC Board...