Nominate your colleague for a 2024 Civil Legal Aid Award!
Nominations are now open for the 2024 Civil Legal Aid Awards, which recognize the outstanding work of lawyers working in the public interest community. There will be two award presented at the Louisiana Justice Community Conference on Friday November 22, 2024: the Legal Service Innovation Award and the Legal Service Excellence in Advocacy Award. Nominations are due Friday, August 23, 2024.
Find Award Nomination Forms Here:
Legal Service Innovation Award - This award is presented to an attorney or organization that has developed an innovative method of delivering legal services to those with unmet legal needs.
Legal Service Excellence in Advocacy Award - This award is presented to a Louisiana public interest attorney who has demonstrated exceptional service, professionalism and passion for representing vulnerable clients.
To nominate an attorney or organization, please refer to the award guidelines linked above. Type or print all information clearly and provide brief answers (no more than 100 words each) to the questions below to explain why the nominee deserves the award(s). If you would like to nominate more than one person or organization for an award, please fill out and submit a completed form for each nominee. You may nominate the same person or organization for both awards; however each form must be completed and submitted to be considered.
Please email the completed nomination form to: Bridget.Berins@lsba.org by Friday, August 23, 2024.
View previous recipients awards from 2015 to 2023 here
2023 Legal Service Excellence in Advocacy Award
Emily Edwards, a native of Avoyelles Parish, attended high school at Marksville Senior High School in Marksville Louisiana, where she graduated in 2009. Emily then graduated from Northwestern State University in Natchitoches with honors, earning a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and criminology. She attended the Southern University Law Center receiving her Juris Doctorate in 2017. Emily had the pleasure to serve as the Legislative Aide to Senator Sharon Hewitt in the 2017 Legislative Session. Emily practices in a variety of law fields including personal injury, worker’s compensation, and all areas of family law.
Emily enjoys her role in the Avoyelles Parish community as a member of the Avoyelles Arts Council, and member of the Chamber of Commerce, participating in a majority of the community events, and being an active participant in her church.
2023 Legal Service Innovation Award
One Stop Homeless Legal Clinic Project
From left to right: Michelle Jack, Intake Specialist, Tranice Poiter, Staff Attorney, Colin Munn,
Staff Attorney, Blake Allen, VIP Co-Managing Attorney, Jennifer Webre, VIP Co-Managing
Attorney. Not Pictured Shanelle Staten, VIP Intake Specialist
SLLS' Veterans & Innovative (VIP) Unit under Supervising Attorney Jennifer Webre's leadership has expanded the reach of its Capital Area One Stop Homeless Legal Clinic Project. The project is an innovative onsite medical-legal partnership model serving vulnerable populations. For the past five years, three SLLS staff have been fully embedded to provide a range of legal services to the unhoused population to stabilize their lives and increase their ability to obtain and maintain housing and improve their health. Legal work primarily involves Social Security disability cases, food stamp cases, expungements, and other critical unmet legal needs to help increase the stability of Baton Rouge's unhoused residents.