Pamela Oakes

Founded in 1979 and merging with the New Orleans Legal Assistance Corporation (NOLAC), established in 1967, SLLS has grown to a staff of almost 100 people with hundreds of volunteers serving 22 parishes in southeast Louisiana. Louisiana consistently ranks as a state with one of the highest poverty rates in the country. SLLS serves about 50% of that population. The legal help we provide is vital for protecting the stability of families and communities. Our work breaks down legal barriers so that vulnerable people can access safety, housing, income, education, and medical care needed so that everyone can thrive. The core of our mission is to help low-income people navigate the complexities of the legal system at the most vulnerable times in their lives. SLLS works daily to protect domestic violence victims from abuse, represents abused and neglected children in the foster care system, preserves housing for hard-working families, ends homelessness for people with disabilities and veterans, protects elderly consumers, removes barriers to medical care, improves access to employment and education, and so much more. These challenges can only be solved with the help of a lawyer. SLLS is a national leader when it comes to Disaster Law, having responded to multiple legal crises caused by hurricanes, epic floods and oil spills. Our Low-Income Taxpayer Clinic protects the rights of working people statewide, while the public information website we administer, LouisianaLawHelp.org, provided legal information and self-help resources to over 150,000 people every year. We respond immediately to the needs of our community in the wake of hurricanes, epic floods, and oil spills. We are nationally recognized as leaders in helping communities recover after disasters. In all that we do, SLLS strives to make fair and equal access to justice possible for the people who need it most.