Civil Legal Aid Awards LSBA recognizes public interest attorney and organization with civil legal aid awards. David H. Williams receives LSBA Legal Excellence in Advocacy Award and Louisiana Civil Justice Center receives Legal Service Innovation Award, at the 13th Annual Louisiana Community Justice Conference.David Williams (left) accepts Legal Excellence in Advocacy Award presented by Luz Molina (right). The Legal Excellence in Advocacy Award recognizes an individual advocate who has displayed the highest levels of dedication, passion and professionalism in representing vulnerable clients. David Williams is the Litigation at Southeast Louisiana Legal Services and has for three decades fought for the rights of people living with disabilities and vulnerable clients to make permanent improvements in their lives. His work in Medicaid and food stamp law has resulted in systemic policy changes that have impacted thousands. Because of David’s work, Medicaid now bears the cost of medically necessary testing strips for children with diabetes as well as supplemental nutrition. Through David’s systemic advocacy the State properly applied a statutorily required cost of living adjustment to the food stamp program that restored more than $12 million in food stamps to needy families. Recently, David was instrumental in establishing SLLS Practice Area groups challenging access to justice issues by appealing pauper status. Luz Molina (left) presents Louisiana Civil Justice Center with Legal Service Innovation Award. Louisiana Justice Center Staff featured left to right: Jonathan Rhodes, Executive Director; Amelia Hoppe, Program Director; and Jesse Rafert, Operations Coordinator. The Legal Service Innovation Award recognizes an individual attorney or organization that has developed an innovative program or service that effectively meets the legal needs of vulnerable populations in Louisiana. The project must serve as a model approach for others advocates in the justice community. The 2016 award is being presented to Louisiana Civil Justice Center for their “2016 Justice Tour”. The Louisiana Civil Justice Center Justice is a legal hotline and call center started in the wake of Hurricane Katrina to provide disaster legal assistance and connect displaced residents in Louisiana with needed resources. This year LCJC launched an ambitious project titled “The 2016 Civil Justice Tour”. The tour, led by Program Director Amelia Hoppe, set out across the state to provide legal clinics and free legal assistance to low-income Louisiana residents in the state’s most rural areas – some areas where the closest legal aid attorney was well over an hour away. With the help of volunteer attorneys, in-person legal clinics were provided in 15 parishes, and over 500 people were assisted between March and October. The tour provided clients with brief legal, information, advice and resources on legal issues including family law, wills estates and successions, landlord tenant and disaster related matters.