|
|
|
|
| Out of Tragedy,
We Can Make a Difference Anyone who has been there
will tell you: news reports do not fully depict the depth or breadth
of destruction and human tragedy caused by Hurricane Katrina.
When the storm approached, it was difficult to imagine that
over a million people would need to be evacuated, that many of those
would lose everything, that it would take weeks to provide for basic
necessities of living, or that the entire City of New Orleans would
be essentially closed. There was no question, however, that this horrific natural
disaster would bring out the caring and compassion of many citizens. People from all over our country — and all over
the world — have offered aid. The
legal profession is providing assistance as well. Within days of the disaster, the Minnesota legal community
sprang into action. Fred Finch
and the Hon. Cara Lee Neville generously accepted my invitation to
cochair the MSBF
Katrina Relief Task Force and have been leading the planning efforts.
The Ramsey County and Hennepin County bar associations are
partnering with the MSBA
in this effort. We plan to deliver relief of three primary types: (1) direct legal services, (2) financial support,
and (3) in-kind donations. Our
primary efforts aim to assist in rebuilding the legal infrastructure
in areas of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama that suffered the greatest
destruction. But we are also
providing assistance for those evacuated to Minnesota as well as encouraging
further donations to select organizations providing humanitarian relief. When we learned there would be 3,000 evacuees transported
to Camp Ripley near Little Falls, we organized
volunteer pro bono and legal services attorneys to
be at the camp to provide legal assistance.
MSBA members Jackie
Schuh, a JAG
officer who was responsible for coordinating the provision of legal
services at Camp Ripley, and Abigail Turner, litigation director of
Mid-Minnesota Legal Assistance, were instrumental in this effort.
Although the evacuees ultimately did not arrive at Camp Ripley
and fewer came to Minnesota than had been anticipated, our preparation
efforts were not without purpose.
An estimated 700 evacuees did arrive in Minnesota and
the Katrina Processing Center was opened to provide them support,
assistance, and a few basic necessities.
Legal Aid attorneys have staffed the legal assistance office
at the Processing Center. Over 120 MSBA
members have volunteered to assist Katrina evacuees with their legal
needs. We anticipate that there
will continue to be a strong need for lawyers in the areas of insurance,
bankruptcy, employment law, unemployment benefits, family law, probate,
elder law and others. Volunteer
Lawyers Network is matching the clients with lawyers who practice
in the areas of client concern. Anyone wishing to volunteer should contact MSBA’s Pro Bono
Coordinator, Caroline Palmer, at (612) 278-6308. Katrina wreaked substantial destrution
upon the legal systems in the Gulf states,
flooding courthouses, damaging facilities, and destroying court files
and evidence. Many judges and court personnel are without
homes. An estimated one-third
of Louisiana’s lawyers lost their offices, their libraries, their
computers, their files and, in some cases, their clients.
The ABA estimates
that over 5,200 of its members in When Minnesota’s legal community suffered similar losses
in the 1997 Red River flooding, the MSBA
coordinated relief offered by MSBA
members. We raised money and
accumulated donations of books, office furnishings and other supplies
so that lawyers who lost their offices could get back to earning a
living and serving their clients.
In that same spirit we can assist the legal communities in
the destroyed areas of the Gulf states. By coordinating the relief efforts of MSBA members, we can maximize our effectiveness and minimize
logistical costs. The state
bar associations in the affected states have set up relief organizations
within their foundations. We
will consult with those foundations and support their efforts.
We also hope to address some of the needs of legal services
providers in the devastated areas and provide them in-kind and other
support. The publicity about Katrina will eventually diminish,
but the need for aid, support and assistance will last much longer. We will likely seek donations and offer relief
at least through the end of 2005.
Focusing our efforts and money during the time of greatest
need, we can make a positive difference; how great a difference is,
in part, up to you. Have you
given yet to this effort? If
not, I am asking you to do so now.
Payments to the MSBF
Katrina Relief Fund can be made electronically through a secure PayPal account accessible through our Web site: www.mnbar.org. Or, you may mail your check payable to the Minnesota
State Bar Foundation, marked “Katrina Relief.” If you prefer your donation go to a particular
humanitarian organization, please indicate that on your check. Otherwise, your funds will be used for rebuilding
the legal community and getting lawyers and law offices back on their
feet, serving their clients. c SUSAN M. HOLDEN is president of the Minnesota State Bar Association. A partner and member of the board of directors of the Minneapolis personal injury firm of Sieben, Grose, Von Holtum & Carey, Ltd., she is certified as a civil trial specialist by the MSBA. |
