NPL
The Natchitoches Parish Library’s (NPL) will be partnering for the third year with the Louisiana Civil Justice Center (LCJC) for it’s annual “Justice Tour.” Thursday, June 28 from 10 a.m. – noon, free legal advice to the public, with no sign-up necessary, in the NPL’s Third Floor Meeting Room. However, participants are asked to bring their valid Louisiana ID and any documents related to their issue.
Building upon the success of last year’s tour, LCJC will host civil legal clinics at libraries in 15 different parishes. The clinics, which are open to the public, will allow residents to speak with an attorney about a wide range of civil legal issues including divorce and custody, consumer debt, housing, successions, and disaster recovery, offering advice, legal documents, and referrals free of charge. In addition to holding free legal clinics, LCJC will meet with representatives of community organizations to discuss the main legal challenges facing each parish and build awareness about the services that LCJC offers.
“With poverty comes inequality, and with inequality comes injustice,” said Jonathan Rhodes, Executive Director of the Louisiana Civil Justice Center. “The Justice Tour will bring lawyers to the parts of our state that are in the greatest need with the goal of ensuring justice, equality, and prosperity for all.”
At the close of this third tour, LCJC will have visited more than half of Louisiana’s parishes in three years and provided hundreds of families with free legal services in their time of need. In addition to providing direct services to those who need it most, the Justice Tour calls attention to the need for more legal services in rural areas and supports local organizations by sharing critical information about existing resources and encouraging them to refer individuals and families to LCJC’s free legal hotline throughout the year. In recognition of its success in raising awareness about barriers to justice in rural Louisiana, the tour was honored with the Louisiana State Bar Association’s 2016 “Legal Services Innovation” award.
For more information, visit the NPL’s Facebook page or call Alan Niette, community outreach coordinator, at 318-357-3280.