News Release

Law students to spend winter holiday helping
Hurricane Katrina victims with legal issues

CHAPEL HILL – Fifteen students from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill will head to hurricane-ravaged New Orleans on Dec. 18 as part of the pro bono program at the School of Law.

Supervised by and working with local attorneys at the New Orleans Pro Bono Project, these students will help clients recover Federal Emergency Management Agency assistance for destroyed property, protect the civil rights of those left homeless by Hurricane Katrina and seek remedies for those who have been wrongfully evicted from their homes.

A gift from the Donald and Elizabeth Cooke Foundation will cover the students’ travel expenses to New Orleans.

"I came to law school to become a better advocate for the things I believe in," said second-year law student Ed Chaney. "Right now, New Orleans is ground zero for issues of racial and economic justice, as well as community economic development, so that’s where I want to be."

Student coordinators of the law school’s pro bono program organized the group of first-, second- and third-year law students. Upon learning that students were interested in doing Katrina-related pro bono work, winter break coordinators and second-year students Dan Harrison and Tracy Morrison began seeking out opportunities for student volunteers to provide assistance. Working with the New Orleans Pro Bono Project will allow students to work in close proximity to each other and gain a variety of law-related experience.

Students also will gain firsthand experience with issues arising in the aftermath of natural disasters, especially issues facing those left vulnerable due to economic inequality.

These students will join the efforts of more than 2,000 lawyers nationwide who have volunteered their services to assist hurricane victims and to contribute to the rebuilding of one of the nation’s most treasured cities.

"Without a doubt, this group has responded to an extraordinary circumstance in an extraordinary way," said Diane Standaert, a third-year student and director of UNC’s pro bono program. "It’s the school’s goal that students will carry such lessons with them as they enter the legal profession and remember that as lawyers we have a unique ability to aid communities’ needs, whether in the wake of hurricanes or in individuals’ daily lives."

Every winter break, UNC’s pro bono program, which began in 1997, gives students the opportunity to do projects around the Triangle or in their hometowns. All participating students – 81 students in 2004 alone – work for attorneys who provide legal services at no charge or at significantly reduced rates.

The program is run by a board of student coordinators who work closely with law school faculty and staff. The student coordinators recruit both attorneys and other students to participate in projects, track student participation in the program and provide programming throughout the academic year about the value of pro bono work. Students who contribute 50 hours or more of pro bono service receive a letter of recognition from the dean of the law school as well as a special notation on their transcripts.

The program also coordinates law-related education projects, through which students teach others about important legal issues. In the past, students have led pro se divorce clinics and power of attorney clinics for Chapel Hill residents. The board also assists several student groups in their pro bono activities, including the Immigrants Outreach Project, the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance project, the Innocence Project and many more.

As result of the program’s projects and the institutional support of the law school, last year more than 50 percent of the classes of 2005 and 2006 reported performing pro bono service during their time at the law school.

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Note: The UNC School of Law group will leave for New Orleans at 8 a.m. Dec. 18. Members of the media who are interested in covering their departure should contact Mandy Hitchcock at (919) 638-0149 or mhitchcock@unc.edu.

School of Law contact: Mandy Hitchcock, (919) 638-0149 or mhitchcock@unc.edu
News Services contact: Deb Saine, (919) 962-8415 or deborah_saine@unc.edu