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3 people are interested
Legal Advocate
ORGANIZATION: Common Ground Relief
Please visit the new page to apply.
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3 people are interested
The Common Ground Legal Advocacy Collective seeks 1-2 highly committed, full time advocates to join our team. Volunteers must be willing to commit to a minimum of three (3) months, for which free room and board is available. Longer commitments of up to one year are not only more helpful to the people of New Orleans, but are more productive for the organization and the volunteer. More information about Common Ground Relief as an organization can be found at commongroundrelief.org.
New Orleans is still a disaster area. In terms of legal advocacy, there are violations of civil and human rights that occur in New Orleans on a daily basis, even two years after the storm. In addition to the needed skills listed below, the ideal applicant will have a strong commitment to social justice in keeping with Common Ground's "solidarity, not charity" mission to work with the people of New Orleans as they rebuild.
Please note: This position does NOT require that you be an attorney, or even be a law student. Volunteer legal advocates must, however, be willing and eager to take on more responsibilities than are typically associated with volunteer positions. Legal advocates in New Orleans keep very busy, and must be able to grapple with a work environment in which unexpected challenges often arise. The legal collective juggles a wide range of projects, collaborations, and day-to-day responsibilities that change from week to week and from month to month.
JOB DUTIES:
-Coordinate, recruit, and manage core team of volunteer attorneys and law students for weekly free legal assistance clinic
-Assist with client intake, referrals, and information at free weekly clinic, as well as clients who call for assistance during the week
-Follow up with clinic clients during the week
-Be knowledgeable, or willing to learn about the main areas of clinic assistance, including but not limited to, landlord/tenant disputes, contractor disputes and fraud, insurance claim assistance, Road Home applications, small claims court filing assistance, pro se divorce, property issues, among others that may arise in the ongoing disaster recovery process
-Supervise ongoing weekly Orleans Parish Prison exit interview program
-Maintain consistent communication with our allies and organizational partners
-Coordinate, manage, and assign tasks and activities for short term law student volunteer delegations through Student Hurricane Network
-Attend a variety of meetings and hearings for various legal and issue advocacy areas such as demolitions, evictions, public housing, and the criminal justice system as they arise
-Coordinate legal observing teams for protest and direct actions as needed
-Attend municipal, traffic, or criminal court dates with clients on occasion, as needed
More opportunities with Common Ground Relief
No additional volunteer opportunities at this time.
About Common Ground Relief
Location:
1800 Deslonde St., New Orleans, LA 70117, US
Mission Statement
Common Ground seeks to provide short-term relief for victims of hurricane disasters in the Gulf Coast region, and long-term support in rebuilding the communities affected in the New Orleans area. We are a community-initiated volunteer organization offering assistance, mutual aid, and support. The work gives hope to communities by working with them, providing for their immediate needs and emphasizing people working together to rebuild their lives in sustainable ways.
Description
The hurricanes and flooding of 2005 devastated much of the Gulf Coast. Because of the historic lack of investment in public infrastructure, poor Black, Asian and Native American communities were the hardest hit by the devastation. In the days, weeks and months following Katrina, government and official relief organizations failed to meet the basic needs for shelter, food and health care in these communities. This failure exposed the long-standing injustices of racism, inadequate health care, education and housing, ill-designed levees, and police harassment and brutality.
With in days of the hurricane CGR was founded and immediately began offering free medical care, food and water in Algiers. As people of conscience from every background and corner of the country and world began volunteering with CGR the organization quickly expanded to provide emergency relief to a diverse array of disenfranchised communities in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. Throughout 2006 and 2007, CGR had a daily average of 150-300 volunteers on the ground. CGR has developed a network of over 14,000 one time and repeat volunteers and worked with more than 450,000 residents. In late 2007 as the need for immediate relief ebbed, CGR began to plan for its long term role in rebuilding. At that time it became clear that CGR could best sustain it s efforts by working in one specific neighborhood in New Orleans.
Today, CGR operations are headquartered in Lower 9 th Ward. We are focusing our rebuilding efforts in this community which was decimated by the Industrial Canal Levee Breach. Our vision of rebuilding sustainable communities continues to adapt to the ongoing changing situation in New Orleans and the Lower 9th Ward. We have a group of 25 long term volunteers and anywhere from 10 to 60 short term volunteers. CGR is working everyday to assist local residents through a broad range of project areas. We are still meeting immediate needs while initiating long-term strategies to address root causes of instability.
· The Anita Roddick Advocacy Center is home to the offices of CGR as well as the "Welcome Home Resource Desk." Offering free computer access, long distance calling, faxing and copying to local residents.
· CGR Legal Collective researches current legal issues effecting New Orleans residents and displaced community members. The Legal Clinic provides free contract review, best practices brochures and legal referrals.
· CGR Media Collective provides grassroots media coverage of events and activities in the New Orleans area with the intent of informing residents and displaced community members as well as inspiring volunteers and supporters towards taking constructive social action.
· The Meg Perry Healthy Soil Project provides information on techniques for minimizing health risks associated with soil toxicity and reduced price bioremediation of contaminated residential and community garden sites. The Common Gardens initiative works to increase local food security by aiding in the development of community and backyard gardens.
· Common Wetlands seeks to educate local and wider communities of the importance of protecting and replanting costal wetlands. This unique ecosystem provides a measure of safety for our lives and homes, and it is a crucial habitat for a multitude of species. We engender stewardship in the name of future generations.
· CGR Mowing provides low cost grass cutting for displaced property owners in the Lower 9 th Ward to prevent fines and leans assessed by the City of New Orleans.
· CGR Construction provides free and low cost labor to returning home owners. While many organizations have ceased gutting homes we continue to gut houses all over the city. We also provide rebuilding assistance here the in Lower 9 th Ward.
· Common Experience provides broad exposure to the scope of relief and recovery work to short term volunteers.
· Common Ground Job Training is a project currently under development. With our partner EPCO Construction we are developing a construction trade training program for local New Orleans residents
- Common Support Crew : kitchen crew, grounds crew, vehicle and facilities maintenance crew.
Skills: Self funding volunteers and groups interested in our project areas are encouraged to apply online. Volunteers with proven skills in these areas able to make 6-12 month commitments are especially needed.
CAUSE AREAS
WHEN
WHERE
215 N Jefferson Davis ParkwayNew Orleans, LA 70119
DATE POSTED
September 14, 2007
SKILLS
GOOD FOR
N/A
REQUIREMENTS
- Must be at least 20