30 Jun 2009
Pro bono partnership tops more than $1.4 million in homeowner grants for Hurricane Katrina survivors in Mississippi

DLA Piper, the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law and the Mississippi Center for Justice join forces to help local residents navigate heirs’ property issues

A partnership of lawyers and volunteers from DLA Piper, the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law and the Mississippi Center for Justice announced today the attainment of more than $1.4 million in the Mississippi Development Authority homeowner assistance grants for residents of coastal Mississippi whose homes were damaged or destroyed by Hurricane Katrina.

The legal assistance provided by the partnership represents a concerted effort towards removing the economic and social barriers that have restricted the access of Gulf Coast residents to legal advice for decades. Since the project’s start in 2008, volunteer attorneys have assisted 117 residents on a pro bono basis, working to resolve complex issues of land-title and estate issues.

Without adequate legal counsel, generations of Gulf Coast residents have been unable to draft wills and take advantage of other estate-planning tools. The result over many generations is that ownership of property has become increasingly fragmented among multiple heirs. The full extent of this problem of heirs’ property was revealed after Hurricane Katrina when hundreds of homeowners were unable to obtain government grants because they could not prove ownership.

“Reaching the $1 million milestone is a testament to the hard work and dedication of all our volunteers who continue to unravel these complex matters for each of our pro bono clients,” said Paul Shadle, a partner with DLA Piper’s Real Estate practice who has been playing a lead role in the project. “We’re honored to have such strong partners in this effort and look forward to more milestones in the future as we work to further resolve heirship issues for homeowners in Mississippi.”

The partnership includes hundreds of volunteers – both attorneys and staff – from DLA Piper, the Lawyers’ Committee and the Mississippi Center for Justice, and it continues to represent more than 70 clients.

“These grants are just the beginning in the new world of opportunities open to these clients,” said David Tipson, an attorney with the Lawyers' Committee. “These landowners can now do all the things with their property that other landowners in this country take for granted.”

“We feel privileged to be delivering such an important service to these asset-challenged communities and look forward to successfully guiding more clients through the grant process,” explained Crystal Utley, Mississippi Center for Justice pro bono counsel. “Resolving heirs’ property issues remains a critical component in strengthening these recovering communities.”

About the Lawyers’ Committee



The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law (LCCRUL), a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization, was formed in 1963 at the request of President John F. Kennedy to involve the private bar in providing legal services to address racial discrimination. The principal mission of the Lawyers’ Committee is to secure, through the rule of law, equal justice under law, particularly in the areas of fair housing and fair lending, community development, employment discrimination, voting, education and environmental justice. For more information about the LCCRUL, visit www.lawyerscommittee.org.

About the Mississippi Center for Justice



The Mississippi Center for Justice is a nonprofit, public interest law firm committed to advancing racial and economic justice. The Center carries out its mission through a community lawyering approach that advances specific social justice campaigns in partnership with national and local organizations and community leaders. Supported and staffed by attorneys, community leaders and volunteers, the Center develops and pursues strategies to combat discrimination and poverty statewide. For more information, please visit www.mscenterforjustice.org.