Nominate your colleague for a 2025 Civil Legal Aid Award!
Nominations are now open for the 2025 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 21, 2025: the Legal Service Innovation Award and the Legal Service Excellence in Advocacy Award. Nominations are due Friday, August 22, 2025.
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 22, 2025.
View previous recipients awards from 2015 to 2024 here
2024 Legal Service Excellence in Advocacy Award
Marie A. Wright is the managing attorney for the General Law Unit at Southeast Louisiana Legal Services (SLLS) in Hammond, handling a range of legal issues including bankruptcies, successions, wills, evictions, and consumer law across multiple Florida Parishes. A Southern University Law Center graduate, she has dedicated her career to public interest law since joining SLLS in 1997. Ms. Wright is known for her commitment to underserved communities, frequently traveling to rural areas and visiting clients in their homes to ensure access to justice. She has provided legal assistance to nearly 19,000 people, securing almost $15 million in economic benefits. Beyond her legal practice, she actively educates the public through outreach events and has trained many law students and legal aid professionals. Her community involvement also includes staffing FEMA Disaster Centers, offering legal clinics, and participating in housing fairs and "Wills for Heroes" events, often on weekends.
2024Legal Service Innovation Award
Disaster Unit Team L to R: Courtnei Carter, Hailey Barnett, Hershel Robinson, Kelley Millet, Christopher Breaux, Christine Northcutt, Donna Fields. (Not pictured - Jeffrey Trosclair, Chelsea Simon, and Jonell Dupre)
Acadiana Legal Service Corporation (ALSC) has launched the "Justice Bus," a mobile office that provides vital legal aid in disaster-stricken areas of Louisiana. Covering 42 parishes—75% of which are "legal deserts"—the Justice Bus addresses the lack of accessible legal resources for survivors of FEMA-declared disasters. The two mobile units are equipped with generators, internet, charging stations, laptops, and workspaces. ALSC has deployed the buses twice for disaster response after Hurricanes Beryl and Francine and continues to provide critical legal services to survivors of Hurricanes Laura, Delta, and Ida.
Since its deployment, the buses have traveled over 13,300 miles, reaching more than 1,100 individuals across 21 parishes and offering services related to housing, public benefits, and family law. Through collaboration with Southeast Louisiana Legal Services (SLLS), ALSC expands access to legal services for those in need, ensuring equal justice for all.