National Bar Association to create gulf oil disaster attorney database

Created on Friday, 20 August 2010 10:04 Last Updated on Monday, 03 December 2012 19:28 Published on Friday, 20 August 2010 10:04 Written by Courier Newsroom Hits: 959

New Orleans, LA.—The National Bar Association (NBA) announced Aug. 10 it is creating a database of attorneys and law firms that have the knowledge and expertise to assist residents in New Orleans and the Gulf region who decide to pursue legal recourse to resolve their Gulf Oil Disaster issues.

INITIATIVE ANNOUNCED—From Left: Mavis Thompson, NBA president; Anita Hill, professor of Social Policy, Law & Women’s Studies at Brandeis University; and Robert J. Carr, NBA executive director at their 85th annual conference held in New Orleans last week.

The organization made the announcement in conjunction with its 85th annual conference which began Aug. 9 in the crescent city.

“Health, environmental, employment and other issues may haunt the residents of New Orleans and the Gulf region for decades due to the Gulf Oil Disaster,” said Mavis Thompson, president of the National Bar Association.

“Our goal is to create a comprehensive listing of lawyers and firms who want to work with individuals who decide they need legal counsel either now or in the future. If Katrina is any indication, no one should assume the problems related to the Gulf Oil disaster will suddenly disappear.”

To inform residents in the Gulf region about the database and help raise awareness, the NBA is formalizing partnerships with the Black Leadership Forum, National Urban League, NAACP, churches and other organizations to ensure all people understand that they have options.

The database will be posted on the NBA website and on the websites of the NBA partners. In addition, printed materials (flyers) with updated information will also be distributed at various events and functions.

“Our partners will serve as a clearinghouse and help the NBA provide pertinent information to individuals,” said Thompson. “We’ll also work with our partners to identify evolving trends in communities that may require immediate legal action.”

Founded in 1925, the National Bar Association is the nation’s oldest and largest national network of predominately African- American attorneys and judges. It represents ap­prox­i­mately 44,000 law­yers, judges, law professors and law students and has more than 80 affiliate chapters throughout the United States and around the world.

(For more information about the National Bar Association, visit www.na­tionalbar.org.)