Shreveport Bar Association Response To Hurricane Katrina

(Disaster Relief Fund, Legal Assistance Volunteer Program,
Office Space Availability, News from State and Federal Courts
and Other State & Local Bar Associations, Etc.)

The Shreveport Bar Association in conjunction with the Shreveport Bar Foundation has set up a special fund for the benefit of the victims of Hurricane Katrina. A massive letter, fax and email campaign has been underway encouraging area attorneys, their legal staff and judicial and government agencies to make a donation to the fund. The Shreveport Bar Foundation Board of Directors will determine the distribution of the funds to the agencies that it deems would be of the greatest benefit to the victims. All funding received will be distributed and those distributions will be announced to the members of the local bar. The names of all contributors will also be recognized in the SBA's monthly news magazine. Thousands of dollars have already been donated by area attorneys and more is expected in the upcoming days and weeks. If you would like to donate to this special disaster relief fund you may do so by forwarding your tax-deductible contribution payable to "Shreveport Bar Foundation" (with the notation Katrina Disaster Relief Fund) to: Katrina Disaster Relief Fund, c/o Shreveport Bar Foundation, P. O. Box 2122, Shreveport, LA 71166-2122. For further information about the SBA's Disaster Relief Fund, contact the SBA Office at (318) 222-3643.

Shreveport Bar Foundation Contributes to Local Organizations Seeking
Katrina Aid

On Wednesday, September 14, the Shreveport Bar Foundation, the charitable arm of the Shreveport Bar Association, made several contributions to local agencies requesting financial assistance, which will be used towards projects that will benefit victims of Hurricane Katrina.

The Foundation contributed $10,000 to the Shreveport-Bossier Rescue Mission, a local agency providing rent-free housing for displaced victims of the hurricane; $5,000 is being donated to the Northwest Louisiana Food Bank to purchase supplies and food products for evacuees; another $5,000 is being donated to the Northwest Louisiana Interfaith Pharmacy, Inc. to be used to purchase medicine and medical supplies for evacuees; $5,000 is being donated to the Northwest Chapter of the American Red Cross to help with their relief efforts, and another $2,038.72 has been contributed to purchase computers for use at the Hirsch Coliseum evacuee shelter.

SBA President Tommy Johnson stated that he is very pleased with the outpouring of generosity from his association members. It was just a few short days ago that the association began soliciting its members to donate to a special "Katrina Disaster Relief Fund" set up through their Bar Foundation, and the response from the local bar was immediate. The Foundation fund also had a real boost from a large donation that was made from a local family trust.

President Johnson said that the Shreveport Bar Association will continue to raise funds for the disaster relief effort and will make future contributions as money is received and it is determined where those funds are most needed. "This is going to be a long-term process of rebuilding for the victims of this devastating natural disaster, and we want them and the community to know that we are committed to help them both now and in the future."

Office Space Availability:

The Shreveport Bar Association is serving as a local clearinghouse for any attorneys who wish to provide or rent space to displaced attorneys. If you have any space that you can provide on a short-term basis, please contact the SBA office by telephone (222-3643), fax (222-9272) or email pguin@shreveportbar.com. Be sure and provide details on the space, your exact location, and phone numbers where you can be reached. Contact with the displaced attorneys is currently limited; however, we expect to be receiving calls and requests for space in the near future as word of space availability reaches these people.

The Shreveport Bar Association and the Northwest Louisiana Pro Bono Project are seeking volunteers to provide legal assistance to victims of Hurricane Katrina. Volunteers will assist low-income disaster victims with issues such as:

Federal disaster assistance rights

Insurance Claims

New wills and death/probate matters

Replacement of documents lost in the disaster

Home repair contract and contractor issues

Preparation of power of attorney

Guardianships and other legal matters

Consumer protection matters, remedies and procedures

Landlord/Tenant disputes, eviction and foreclosure

If you or a member of your staff would like to volunteer at either the Hirsch Coliseum Shelter or the Disaster Relief Center, please contact Ruth Moore, Executive Director of the Northwest Louisiana Pro Bono Project at ruthmoore@shreveportprobono.org.

From Kacee Hargrove, Media Director: Sheriff's Offices, police departments and fire departments of both Shreveport and Bossier Parishes want citizens to know that rumors flying through the area about riots at Hirsch Coliseum, fights at local hospitals, gas shortages and crimes including carjackings, robberies and burglaries are not true and they are encouraging the media and public to confirm the information with them before spreading it to others. You may do so by calling the Shreveport-Bossier City Hurricane Hotline at 425-5351 or by forwarding any email rumors you may receive to the Shreveport Police Department website at http://www.ci.shreveport.la.us/dept/police/index.htm.

The First Circuit Website (http://www.la-fcca.org/) has been updated with information on how to contact the Louisiana Supreme Court and the Louisiana Fourth and Fifth Circuits. There is also a section ("KATRINA ISSUES") with information on how the First Circuit is handling certain documents (including rehearing deadlines) and address changes.

EXECUTIVE ORDER KBB 05-48

Extension of Executive Order No. KBB 05-32
Emergency Suspension of Prescription, Peremption and Other Legal Deadlines

WHEREAS, Executive Order No. KBB 2005-32, issued on September 6, 2005, suspended all deadlines applicable to legal proceedings, including prescription and peremption, in all Louisiana state courts, administrative agencies and boards;

WHEREAS, Executive Order No. KBB 2005-32 is in effect until September 25, 2005; and

WHEREAS, the Louisiana State Bar Association, the Louisiana Trial Lawyers Association, and the Louisiana Association of Defense Counsel jointly requested that Executive Order No. 2005 - 32 be extended for an additional thirty (30) days;

NOW THEREFORE I, KATHLEEN BABINEAUX BLANCO, Governor of the state of Louisiana , by virtue of the authority vested by the Constitution and laws of the state of Louisiana , do hereby order and direct as follows:

SECTION 1: Section 1 of Executive Order No. KBB 2005-32, issued on September 6, 2005, is amended as follows:

A. All deadlines in legal proceedings, including liberative prescriptive and peremptive periods in all courts, administrative agencies, and boards are hereby suspended until at least October 25, 2005, including, but not limited to, non-constitutionally mandated deadlines in criminal proceedings and any such deadlines set for in the following:

6. a. R.S. Title 40, Chapter 5 Part XXI-A, Malpractice Liability for State Services; and

B. The suspension of laws as provided in Subsection 1(A) of this Executive Order shall apply statewide and in all matters, except to the extent that the suspension of deadlines in legal proceedings may hereafter be shortened or lifted, in whole or in part, by an order issued by the Louisiana Supreme Court acting in accordance with the power vested pursuant to Article V of the Constitution .

SECTION 2: This Order is effective upon signature and shall remain in effect until Tuesday, October 25, 2005, unless amended, modified, terminated, or rescinded by the governor, or terminated by operation of law prior to such time.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have set my hand officially and caused to be affixed the Great Seal of Louisiana, at the Capitol, in the city of Baton Rouge , on this 23rd day of September, 2005.

The Louisiana Bar Center has established temporary offices in Lafayette, Louisiana. Contact information is as follows:
Louisiana State Bar Association

P.O. Drawer 52828
Lafayette, LA 70505
phone: (337)272-0356
fax: (337)233-9450
LouisianaBar@yahoo.com

On behalf of the Louisiana State Bar Association, we extend our sincerest condolences to those individuals that have been affected by the devastating impact of Hurricane Katrina. The Louisiana Bar Association website www.lsba.org will be our primary means of communicating for the foreseeable future. We are updating the site on an ongoing basis and it includes information ranging from message boards to Supreme Court Orders. Please check our website frequently for up-to-the minute information on the Louisiana legal community. Also, please encourage your colleagues in the profession to use this invaluable resource during this most difficult time. The Louisiana State Bar Association extends its thanks to the countless lawyers who have contacted us with offers of assistance, housing and office space. Members of the legal community from around the state and around the country have come together in their desire to assist victims of this tragedy. Please accept my personal assurances that your bar association will continue to do everything it can to assist its members and the public and to facilitate communication.

To enable lawyers to locate one another, the LSBA has added a password protected feature on their website. The posting includes contact information for all active members as it existed prior to Hurricane Katrina. There is an additional field for displaced lawyers to provide their temporary contact information. The LSBA is asking all members to spread the word about this feature to all lawyers that they know so that they can assemble current contact information and share this with other members of the LSBA. Click here to log in: http://www.lsba.org/home/memberslogin.asp.

The certification of ineligibility for those lawyers who have not paid their 2005/2006 LSBA dues or assessment and/or filed their Attorney Registration Statements by Tuesday, September 6 has been extended. The LSBA will not penalize those members who have not made the necessary payments and/or filings by the September 6 deadlilne. Members who have not yet paid SHOULD NOT contact the LSBA but should visit www.LSBA.org for the most recent information. As soon as they are able to accept and process payments and registration statements, they will post an announcement on their website.

Academy Sports will give a 25% discount on items purchased for the shelter relief victims. This offer is good for all members associated with a "relief group" (the SBA is a relief group). The discount is for smaller individual purchases only and not offered for large bulk purchases.

You can donate blood at one of the LifeShare Blood Centers located at 8910 Linwood Avenue, Shreveport (222-7770) or 1523 Doctors Drive, Bossier City (742-4636). To donate one unit of whole blood, no appointment is needed. To donate two units, an appointment is required and there are minimum height/weight requirements: Women donating 2 units must be at least 5'5" and 150 pounds. Men donating 2 units must be at least 5'1" and 130 pounds.

The U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Trustee-Region 5 is seeking a full-time, permanent Paralegal Specialist in its Shreveport Office located at 300 Fannin Street. Salary Range: $34,149-$65,704. For information contact: Michael Bolen at (601)965-5241.

Attorney: Jefferson Parish attorney seeking employment. Graduate of Tulane Law School in 1992. Public Defender in Jefferson Parish for six years. Assistant Parish Attorney for Jefferson Parish. Seeking work in a general practice law firm. Experienced in personal injury, domestic and criminal law. Contact (504) 232-9874.

Attorney: New Orleans Attorney seeking temporary employment on a contract or hourly basis. Would like to work on legal research, discovery or trial preparation in Shreveport area for 4 to 12 weeks. Has small family law and personal injury practice in New Orleans. Previously worked as a contract attorney in the commercial litigation section of McGlinchey Stafford PLLC. Copy of resume on file at SBA Office (222-3643).

Attorney: New Orleans Attorney seeking employment. Graduate of Stanford University (1989) and Tulane Law School (1994). Copy of resume on file at SBA Office (222-3643).

Attorney: New Orleans Attorney seeking employment. Graduate of Xavier University (1992) and Columbus School of Law at Catholic University of America (1996). Copy of resume on file at SBA Office (222-3643).

Paralegal: New Orleans Paralegal with 18 years of plaintiff's practice paralegal experience. Worked for Olinde & Lawrence and has also worked in a criminal defense practice. Contact Shelita Williams at (504) 616-3198.

Paralegal: Relocated paralegal who formerly worked for the law firm of Leake & Anderson in New Orleans is seeking employment in the Shreveport area. She has been informed that her position is on hold for the next 6-10 months and she is seeking temporary paralegal work in our community. Please contact Michele Baker with WillStaff Worldwide at (318) 213-4567. The SBA office has a copy of her resume on file, if you would like this information faxed to you.

Legal Secretary: Legal Secretary recently moved to Shreveport/Bossier area due to Hurricane Katrina currently seeking employment. Has experience in following fields: bankruptcy, reaffirmations, social security, and personal injury matters. Phone: (318) 453-7676. SBA office has copy of resume on file, if you would like it faxed to you.

Legal Secretary & Bookkeeper/Accounting Assistant: New Orleans Legal Secretary (30 years of experience) and Secretary with seven (7) years of bookkeeping, payroll and accounting experience. Please call Dalna Rodgers at 221-2535, 465-3053 or 987-3396.

www.louisiana.gov.wps/portal (the official website for the State of Louisiana) offers helpful information regarding assistance in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina ... report missing persons, obtain copies of vita records, and more.

FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Association) - 1-800-621-3362 or for hearing impaired dial 1-800-462-7285. Email: www.fema.gov

Missing Family/Persons: 1-800-GET-INFO. Use missing persons data-base on: www.redcross.org

Information about Damaged Areas: - Call the local OEP numbers below:
Ascension Parish: 225-621-8360
East Baton Rouge Parish: 225-389-2100
West Baton Rouge Parish: 225-346-1577
Lafourche Parish: 985-537-7603
Livingston Parish: 225-686-3066
Orleans Parish: 504-415-1158
St. Bernard Parish: 504-278-4267
St. Charles Parish: 985-783-5050
St. John Parish: 985-652-2222
Tangipahoa Parish: 985-748-3211
Terrebonne Parish: 985-873-6357

Special Needs Shelter Information:
Alexandria: 1-800-841-5778
Baton Rouge: 1-800-349-1372
Lafayette: 1-800-901-3210
Slidell/Hammond: 1-866-280-7724
Houma/Thibodaux: 1-800-228-9409
Shreveport: 1-800-841-5776
Monroe: 1-866-280-7287

The offices of the Disciplinary Board, previously located at 2800 Veterans Blvd., Suite 310 , Metairie , Louisiana , have been relocated to 4000 S. Sherwood Forest Blvd., Suite 506 , Baton Rouge , Louisiana 70816 . The Board’s office is fully operational and can be reached by calling (225) 298-3212 or (800) 489-8411. Filings with the Board should be sent to the new relocation address until further notice. For more information, please see our web site at www.ladb.org.

The offices of the Supreme Court Committee on Bar Admissions, previously located at 2800 Veterans Blvd. Suite 310 , Metairie , Louisiana , have been relocated to 4000 S. Sherwood Forest Blvd., Suite 506 , Baton Rouge , Louisiana 70816 . The Bar Admission’s office is fully operational and can be reached by calling (225) 298-8057. Bar admission applicants should send information or inquires to the new relocation address until further notice and to the attention of Denise Leeper. For more information, please see our web site at www.lascba.org.

All appellate oral arguments before the Disciplinary Board previously scheduled to be held September 29, 2005 have been continued and will be rescheduled. Matters before Hearing Committees which were scheduled for September in the courtroom of the Metairie office of the Disciplinary Board are continued and will be rescheduled.

Many displaced hurricane victims are seeking refuge in Georgia. The State Bar of Georgia will assist lawyers and their clients by providing office space, conference rooms, legal research materials, telephones and office equipment in the State Bar Building in downtown Atlanta. Please contact Faye First at (404) 419-0155 or fayef@gabar.org.

Local Telemessaging Services Company Offers Free Services to Displaced Attorneys:

In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, King's Telemessaging Services is offering free telephone answering and voice mail services for sixty (60) days to any lawyers who relocate to our area from the affected regions. For information contact Bob King at (318) 222-9446 or email him at kings@kingstel.com.

The law firm of Byrne, Mead and Smitherman, One Lincoln Center, 5400 LBJ Freeway, Suite 1325, Dallas, Texas 75240 has 2,000 square feet of unused office space that they would be willing to provide for a lawyer or firm that needs a place to set up until they are able to get back to their original locations. If interested, please contact Scott A. Seelhoff at (972) 371-5257.

The Iowa Finance Authority has a housing vacancy identification website to assist evacuees of the Hurricane Katrina Disaster. This new website at www.housinginiowa.com is intended to help evacuees locate decent housing Iowa. Owners and managers of vacant properties (apartments, single family homes, etc.) will be able to enter available properties for occupancy by Hurricane Katrina evacuees. Once the input is made the evacuees and/or their sponsors and helpers (such as churches, government agencies or non-profits) will be able to ascertain units by housing type, by county and by city. The Iowa Finance Authority expects this website to be a tremendous tool for identifying vacant units around the state. Please direct any questions to IFA's main telephone numbers (515) 242-4990 or 1-800-432-7230.

Everyone at Thomson West is deeply moved by the enormous loss suffered by the victims of Hurricane Katrina. As the floodwaters recede and the Gulf Coast begins to rebuild, it is only now that the true extent of the devastation can be understood. And though there are sure to be difficult times ahead, there is also hope that a sense of normalcy will once again return to you - our customers, friends and colleagues along the Gulf Coast .

For our part, Thomson West is committed to helping legal professionals restore practices and offices as soon as possible. The full resources of our business back this commitment.

To assist in the rebuilding effort, we've set up a dedicated hotline for Thomson West customers affected by Hurricane Katrina. If you have been displaced by the disaster, contact Thomson West Customer Service at 1-800-328-4880, ext. 67281, to let us know that you're safe and what your needs are. When you're ready to get back on your feet, we're ready to help.

Affected Westlaw customers can contact their Sales representative or call the Customer Service hotline to access a complimentary Westlaw password. Thomson West Reference Attorneys are standing by to help support your research needs. Our Technology organization can help establish new high-speed connections to support your practices. And, when it's time to rebuild your library, Thomson West will replace any print or CD-ROM product for current subscribers free of charge. For legal professionals who use our products but do not have current active subscriptions, we're offering a 50 percent replacement coverage to ensure everyone is able to restore their collections. For our law school customers in the affected areas, we're replacing texts free of charge and working closely with the law schools in the area to support their rebuilding efforts. And lastly, Thomson is offering a double-match contribution for all employee contributions to the American Red Cross in support of the relief effort.

Thomson West is proud of its heritage and longstanding partnership with attorneys and the courts, and we are proud to stand with you throughout your process of recovery and rebuilding. Please know that our thoughts are with you and that we are here to help.

LexisNexis Open Letter to Customers, Users and Friends Affected by Hurricane Katrina:

The employees of LexisNexis wish to express their sympathy to all those affected by Hurricane Katrina and extend their support as the recovery efforts continue.

LexisNexis is working diligently to assist legal professionals who have been affected by this devastating tragedy. As lawyers are able to assess their current situations and their needs for the near future, LexisNexis will continue to provide resources to help them restore their businesses and practices.

Currently, LexisNexis has taken the following initiatives targeted at Hurricane-affected legal practitioners and their firms, and at getting these firms back into operation:

· Legal researchers without online access to the lexis.com service can receive assistance through a toll-free research hotline staffed 24/7 by LexisNexis Customer Support. The hotline can be reached at 866-749-0883, Option 1.

· Current customers will be offered free replacement of LexisNexis print products that were destroyed; lapsed customers will be offered a 50 percent discount while new customers or those using other print providers will receive a 40 percent discount on LexisNexis print products. Call 866-749-0883, Option 2, for more information

· All product shipments, billing documents and business mailings have been suspended to affected areas based on information provided by the United States Postal Service. Shipments will remain suspended until notification is received by the affected parties to resume shipping to either a current, new or temporary address.

· LexisNexis will provide edits to customer listings on the martindale.com service and lawyers.com, identifying temporary location information in order to update firm Web sites. To update information, attorneys and firms should contact their designated account representatives or call 800-526-4902, ext. 8001.

· Also via Martindale-Hubbell, temporary Web site hosting will be made available to bar associations in the affected areas, as will temporary email addresses.

· LexisNexis is donating a number of laptop computers to the Baton Rouge Bar Association, which will distribute the computers per its own discretion to individual members in need and to other bar associations in the affected regions.

In the area of technical assistance, LexisNexis is extending the following system recovery services as needed to legal customers affected by Hurricane Katrina. For more information, contact Brad Brown, LexisNexis Legal Technology Specialist, at 800-368-6955, ext. 5463:

In addition, LexisNexis is providing assistance to law students affected by the hurricane, including the provision of free course books to all displaced students. LexisNexis will also provide free copies of relevant titles from the LexisNexis Understanding Series and Q & A Series to all displaced students enrolled in a law school class that corresponds to a title in the Understanding and Q & A product lines. Affected students should contact their local LexisNexis representative for more information.

As a service to anyone who needs ready and free access to breaking and archived news on Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath, LexisNexis has expanded its free online news site (LexisNexis U.S. Politics & World News) to include in-depth coverage of all aspects of this event and the ongoing remediation efforts. Visit http://www.lexisnexis.com/news/ to get the latest Katrina news from over 4,000 U.S. and International news sources.

Further announcements will be made as additional hurricane relief services are available from LexisNexis.

LexisNexis is in the business of helping its customers successfully operate their businesses and practices – the efforts put forth in this time of need are no different. Our best thoughts go out to the people of the Southeastern U.S. , and we will continue to provide whatever support is needed to our customers as they begin their rebuilding efforts.

EXECUTIVE ORDER KBB 05-48