We are thrilled to welcome Kathryn Fernandez Lafrentz as our new Director of Legal Services! Kathryn is a graduate of the University of California’s Berkeley School of Law. She began her legal career as a judicial law clerk for the Hon. Jay C. Zainey. As Director of Community Advocacy at Disability Rights of Louisiana, Kathryn provided legal oversight and case management support for state and federal programs that served people with disabilities. She later led campus wide efforts to promote equal access and inclusion at Tulane University. Kathryn joins The Pro Bono Project where she oversees all legal services including volunteer engagement and mentorship.
Read MoreGive NOLA Day on May 4th
Each day presents new challenges for all of us, but The Pro Bono Project's staff and volunteers are ready to address our community's legal needs. For over thirty-five years, the heart and soul of The Project has been the unwavering commitment of the legal community. Together we ensure access to justice for all during these challenging times.
This was demonstrated beautifully during this year’s Give NOLA Day. Our volunteers and supported stood up for those vulnerable in our community and who are in need of civil legal assistance. “At a time when there is so much need, the residents of Greater New Orleans have once again risen to the occasion and show their extraordinary generosity,” Greater New Orleans Foundation President & CEO Andy Kopplin said.
In addition to a $500 lagniappe prize, The Pro Bono Project raised $13,370 from 93 donors. This is the second highest total The Project has earned since Give NOLA Day began in 2014.
Read MoreBoysie Bollinger, Honorary Chair, invites you to attend the 33rd Annual Justice For All Ball
We are thrilled that our 33rd Annual Justice For All Ball will be held on September 17, 2021 at Mardi Gras World's Grand Oaks Mansion. After cancelling last year’s event due to the pandemic, the 2021 Justice For All Ball promises to be a celebration of our community’s resilience. We are honored to have Boysie Bollinger serve as our Honorary Chair this year. We look forward to a gala evening of fine food, spirits, and music.
Read More2021 Is the Year To Volunteer
The ongoing pandemic has created unique legal challenges in our community. Consider donating your time and legal knowledge by volunteering with The Pro Bono Project.
Read MoreThe Pro Bono Project's 2021 Board of Directors
It's a New Year and The Pro Bono Project welcomes its 2021 Board of Directors. We are grateful for the service of our directors and officers. They, along with our dedicated staff, are ready to fulfill our mission to provide free civil legal aid to under-served members of the community. The need is great and we will rise to meet these challenges. Join us.
Read MoreGive the Gift of Justice
On behalf of the staff and board of directors, thank you for your generous support of The Pro Bono Project this year. 2020 posed many challenges - both personally and professionally - for so many of us. Despite the many difficulties of this past year, hundreds of lawyers, law students, and volunteers donated thousands of hours in 2020 to help seniors, children, and families resolve legal issues that if left unaddressed would have threatened their safety and well-being. 2021 promises to be another year that will require the time, talent, and resources of our supporters and we are grateful to have you as an ally in our pursuit of civil legal justice
Your donation of time and money makes the difference in the lives of our clients. Read about our clients as they navigate the justice system and with our help resolve their legal issues.
Read MoreShoutout to our Top 2020 Volunteers
This year has brought many personal, professional, and financial challenges to both our supporters and clients. During this time of tremendous need due to the pandemic, a special note of appreciation to our top volunteers.
Read MoreOpportunities to Volunteer
A financial donation is not the only way to give this Giving Tuesday. Consider donating your time and legal knowledge by volunteering with The Pro Bono Project. Register as a volunteer using our online registration portal and contact Director of Legal Services Jesse S. George at 504-581-4043 x 211 to find out more about volunteering.
Read MoreThanksgiving - A Time to Reflect
Thanksgiving is a time to pause and be grateful. The Pro Bono Project is deeply appreciative of all our volunteers, supporters, and funders. Without you, we would be unable to provide legal services and access to justice to the most vulnerable in our community.
Read MoreNational Celebration of Pro Bono
The National Celebration of Pro Bono is held the last week of October each year. This year we are joining the American Bar Association in their virtual celebrations of pro bono volunteers.
Read MoreVolunteer Appreciation Awards
Every year, The Pro Bono Project honors lawyers, law firms, students, businesses, and members of the judiciary who have provided, improved, and excelled in the delivery of volunteer legal services. These services are of critical importance to the increasing number of people in our area. We host our annual Volunteer Appreciations Event to show our deep appreciation for those who support our mission to improve access to justice in our community. Due to the ongoing pandemic, we will host our Volunteer Appreciation Event virtually during the 2020 National Celebration of Pro Bono (October 25-31).
We wish to thank all our volunteers for all the hard work the put into helping the community, especially in such a chaotic year. We could not help all the community members that we do without their support, time, and effort. www.probono-no.org
Read MoreVolunteers Needed to Assist Those Facing Evicion
The Pro Bono Project is proud to partner with @SLLS to address the urgent legal needs of tenants facing evictions in our community. To that end, we are recruiting volunteers who are interested in providing brief legal advice to these clients so that they are prepared for the challenges they face in eviction proceedings. Volunteers will interact with clients on a virtual basis, providing legal information and advice. Volunteers will sign up for available shifts on Tuesday afternoons to contact clients. Training and mentorship available to volunteers.
If you are interested in assisting with the provision of this service, please sign up at: https://conta.cc/2SwuDip or contact Director of Legal Services, Jesse George at jgeorge@probono-no.org , to find out how to get involved.
Read MoreThe Spirit of Justice - A Virtual Celebration
Although we will not hold our Annual Justice For All Ball at Mardi Gras World this year, The Pro Bono Project will host a two-week virtual celebration beginning on September 25, 2020.
“The Spirit of Justice” will highlight the role of our volunteers, staff, and clients. It will feature a silent auction with domestic and foreign trips, food and cocktail recipes of your Justice For All Ball favorites, and much more.
In this period of tremendous need, The Pro Bono Project asks that you consider donating your time, talent, or resources. From spreading the word and promoting our services to volunteering or pledging your support, join us in our efforts to ensure equal access to justice.
Read MoreIn Memory of Katrina - Fifteen Years Later
Fifteen years after Katrina, Southeast Louisiana is struggling with challenges both new and old. In commemoration of this anniversary, we pay tribute to the many people who came to the aid of The Pro Bono Project in the days after Hurricane Katrina’s devastation of our beloved City.
We recount some of the many stories from the moment when we realized that both our clients and our volunteers were spread across the country, as was our entire population, right up until the present day.
http://probono-no.org/hurricane-katrina-retrospective
Read More32nd Annual Justice For All Ball is Cancelled
The Pro Bono Project has made the difficult decision to cancel our annual fundraiser, the Justice For All Ball scheduled for Friday, September 25, 2020. Our Board of Directors and staff know this is the right decision given the ongoing public health impact of the pandemic. The safety of our staff, volunteers, and attendees is our priority.
For thirty-two years the Justice For All Ball has been the premier social event in the legal community, drawing hundreds of lawyers, judges, and private citizens together for an evening of fine food, spirits, and live music. It is a celebration of what makes our community strong and unique – our creativity, civic pride, and resilience.
Read MoreMessage from the Executive Director
The Pro Bono Project joins legal aid programs around the country in considering the impact of COVID-19 on how we deliver legal services to our communities while keeping ourselves and clients safe. We have made safety a priority by choosing to meet remotely whenever possible. We continue to accept applications for legal services and are placing cases with our volunteers. The Project developed an expansive COVID-19 resource page, a self-help desk hotline for self-represented litigants to call and email, and online webinars and tutorials for clients and volunteers. These resources provide useful information to practitioners as well as the public.
The Pro Bono Project encourages those who have the time and inclination to continue to volunteer with us. As Louisiana continues to deal with the pandemic, the need for free civil legal aid grows. Your support helps thousands of under-served residents build safer, healthier, and more stable lives.
Read MoreTraining Volunteers on Special Immigrant Juvenile Status
On July 17th, The Pro Bono Project, in partnership with Catholic Charities Archdiocese of New Orleans, hosted an online CLE - Special Immigrant Juvenile Status: Representing Juvenile Immigrants. Over forty people attended this three-hour virtual training that offered substantive information on representing children as they make their way through state juvenile court.
Read MoreThe Project Expands Its Online Videos and Tutorials
Prior to the pandemic, The Pro Bono Project hosted many community clinics – from consumer debt and bankruptcy to successions and elder law. Due to the pandemic, The Pro Bono Project has created a series of online videos and tutorials to help assist the public with information and resources. Check out our offerings on The Pro Bono Project’s You Tube Channel.
Read MoreBankruptcy Self Help Resource Center Opens on August 7, 2020
On Friday, August 7, 2020, The Pro Bono Project, in partnership with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court - EDLA, will launch the Bankruptcy Self-Help Resource Center, a service of whereby self-represented bankruptcy filers can find helpful information and services about their bankruptcy cases. On the first Friday of each month from 9 a.m. until 12 noon, volunteers will be available via a telephone hotline (504.581.4043) and email to assist self-represented litigants with the completion of bankruptcy petitions and schedules, to help guide filers through the court’s new Electronic Self-Representation (eSR) system, and to provide referrals for attorneys or other legal resources.
“We are building upon the successful model of self-help resource centers at the state court level and applying what we learned there to federal bankruptcy court. Pre-pandemic, The Project witnessed many self-represented litigants struggle to navigate their way through consumer debt and bankruptcy issues. The pandemic’s economic consequences only will increase the need by the public for clear and concise information on how to tackle their financial struggles. We are thrilled to work with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court’s Judges and Clerk of Court along with the bankruptcy bar to provide the public greater understanding of the bankruptcy process,” remarks The Pro Bono Project’s Executive Director, C.C. Kahr.
Volunteers do not provide legal advice or representation, but assist visitors with legal forms, information, and referrals. This service is made possible through a generous grant of the American College of Bankruptcy Foundation.
If you are interested in volunteering for this service, please contact Managing Attorney Jesse George. We ask that volunteers have some familiarity with bankruptcy law.
Meet our 2020 Summer Gillis Long Interns
For over thirty years, the Gillis Long Poverty Law Center at Loyola University College of Law provides law students the opportunity to serve the greater good while supplementing their coursework with real world legal research and practice. Each summer, The Project welcomes interns who gain invaluable legal experience and skills while assisting us in our mission to provide free civil legal aid to under-served members of our community.
This summer, the pandemic has not slowed our interns down. Working with our staff, clients, and volunteers, Maria Frischling and Carlos Torres bring enthusiasm, energy, and a commitment to meeting today’s challenging times.
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