For two days, public interest advocates will come together to learn, network, and collaborate with justice community members from around the state. In addition to regular conference programming, we will distribute two Civil Legal Aid Awards to recognize colleagues who have developed innovative ways of delivering legal services and provided exemplary service to those most in need.

Eligibility:

As always, the Louisiana State Bar Association is proud to provide the conference for civil legal aid attorneys working fulltime with a qualified program. The event is by invitation only. To be eligible to attend free-of-charge, you must be employed full-time by a qualified civil legal aid provider (see list). To be eligible to attend the CINC Pre-Conference free-of-charge, you must be employed full-time by or provide contract CINC services to a qualified civil legal aid provider (see list).

Agenda:

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2019 (4 credit hours)
9:00 – 11:00 am Pro Bono Pre-Conference & Statewide Website Stakeholders’ Meeting.
11:30 – 12:15 pm Conference Registration and Networking Lunch – Premier 3
12:15 – 12:30 pm Welcome Remarks
Valerie Schexnayder, Louisiana State Bar Association
Amanda Barnett, Louisiana Bar Foundation
12:30 – 12:45 pm Keynote Address – Judy Perry Martinez, American Bar Association
12:45 – 1:45 pm Professionalism* Access to Justice Innovations
(1.0 Prof.) Joyce Raby, Florida Justice Technology Center
1:55 – 2:55 pm Effective Advocacy: Public Benefits Law for All Attorneys
(1.0 CLE) Gwynne Mashon, Jennifer Webre, and Steven Reed
Southeast Louisiana Legal Services
Substantive Law Track: Recent Developments to Paternity and Filiation
Benjamin Brown, Acadiana Legal Service Corp
3:10 – 4:10 pm Effective Advocacy: Disaster Response and Preparedness
(1.0 CLE) Aron Chang, Tulane University
Leila Darwish, New Orleans Office of Homeland Sec. & Emergency Preparedness
Laura Tuggle, Southeast Louisiana Legal Services
Student Debt Relief Public Loan Forgiveness
Donna Cuneo, Louisiana Bar Foundation
Amanda Golob and Anthony Sartorio, Southeast Louisiana Legal Services
4:20 – 5:20 pm Substantive Law Track: Elder Law Basics and Issue-Spotting
(1.0 CLE) Linda Melancon and Betty Raglin, Legacy Estate and Elder Law of Louisiana
Jane Thomas (moderator), Governor’s Office of Elderly Affairs
LGBTQ+ Cultural Competency
Tyler Clemons, Southern Poverty Law Center
Nicholas Hite, Hite Law Group
5:30 – 6:30 pm Statewide Substantive Law Task Force Meetings – Premier 3
CINC, Elder Law, Family Law, Housing & Consumer and Public Benefits

7:00 – 8:30 pm Cocktail and Hors d’oeuvres Reception. Join us for a networking and celebration event at Juban’s, hosted by the LSBA.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2019 (5 credit hours available)
8:00 – 8:45 am Buffet Breakfast – Premier 3
8:55 – 9:55 am Substantive Law Track: Litigation Strategies for Combatting Uninhabitable
(1.0 CLE) Housing Conditions
Hannah Adams, Southeast Louisiana Legal Services
DeVonn Jarrett, Jarrett Law Group
Effective Advocacy: Discovery Tactics in Custody Cases
Hannah Groedel and Jessica Wood, Southeast Louisiana Legal Services
10:05 – 11:05 am Legal Aid and Successful Re-Entry
(1.0 CLE) Stephanie Beaugh, Louisiana Appleseed
Alexis Erkert, Southeast Louisiana Legal Services
Harrece Gassery, Orleans Public Defenders’ Office
Vanessa Spinazola, Justice and Accountability Center
Effective Advocacy: A Deeper Understanding: Children As Witnesses
Hon. Ernestine S. Gray, Orleans Parish Juvenile Court
Franchesca Hamilton- Acker, Acadiana Legal Service Corp.
Rebecca Henderson, Mental Health Advocacy Services
11:15 – 12:15 pm Substantive Law Track: Identifying Legal Issues across Practice Areas
(1.0 CLE) Rebecca Holmes, Advocacy Center
Paula Charles and Maureen Morrow, Southeast Louisiana Legal Services
Effective Advocacy: Mental Health & Assisted Out-Patient Treatment Courts
Hon. Kern A. Reese, Orleans Civil District Court
William “Chuck” Credo, III, Louisiana State Coroner’s Association
Kerry Lentini, Louisiana Supreme Court
12:15 – 1:00 pm LUNCH – Legal Service Awards Presentation with Luz Molina
1:00 – 2:00 pm Plenary Session* Transforming Access to Justice
(1.0 CLE) Amanda Brown, Lagniappe Law Lab
Rachael Mills, Louisiana State Bar Association
Luz Molina, Loyola University College of Law
Joyce Raby, Florida Justice Technology Center
2:05 – 3:05 pm Ethics and the #MeToo Movement – Times They Are A Changin’
(1.0 Ethics) Katie Lasky, Kerry Murphy
3:05 – 3:15 pm CLOSING REMARKS – Premier 3
Total Available CLE Credits: 9.0 hours (including one ethics and one professionalism)
*Thank you to the Louisiana Bar Foundation for providing funding support for the professionalism and plenary sessions.