WINSTON-SALEM - Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice, PLLC today announced that the firm has been selected for the 2007 Pro Bono Publico Award given by the Louisiana State Bar Association (LSBA) for the firm's outstanding commitment to Hurricane Katrina victims in their time of need. The firm received one of six pro bono awards given by the LSBA General Assembly during the association's 66th Annual Meeting in Sandestin, Florida on Thursday, June 7.

LSBA honored Womble Carlyle with this award due to its recent pro bono project the firm developed with Southeast Louisiana Legal Services (SLLS) to offer free legal assistance to New Orleans residents whose property had been damaged or destroyed during Hurricane Katrina. Womble Carlyle worked with low-income New Orleans homeowners who had been living in their family homes but had not taken the formal, legal steps necessary to pass clear title from one generation of owners to another. Soon after the storm, these homeowners discovered that they were not eligible for a range of benefits without clear title to their homes. 

The objective of Womble Carlyle’s project was to provide the legal assistance necessary to establish title for these victim’s homes and therefore enable eligibility for the federal, state and insurance assistance they required to rebuild their property.

Beginning in the summer of 2006, Womble Carlyle and SLLS began to work with Katrina victims to complete and file the legal work necessary to give these victims clear title. The firm interviewed hundreds of potential clients, and was able to begin helping almost 200 people over the summer. In total, more than 30 Womble Carlyle attorneys and staff members traveled to New Orleans each week from July 10 through August 31, 2006 to provide direct aid to the victims. Lawyers and administrative professionals throughout the firm’s home offices provided drafting and research assistance.

Womble Carlyle worked under the supervision of SLLS to provide a variety of legal services for the project, including interviewing homeowners, helping them obtain relevant legal documents for their property, advising homeowners regarding their options, preparing pleadings and affidavits for probate, and filing petitions successions and obtaining judgments of possession. To date, the firm has provided nearly 4000 hours of pro bono assistance to these Katrina clients.

"Many lawyers and law firms have done significant work in the Katrina-affected areas, and LSBA’s decision to single out and recognize us for our work there is a true honor," said Womble Carlyle's Pro Bono Director, Tripp Greason. "This signature project quickly became one of the most rewarding initiatives our lawyers had ever undertaken. The legal needs of those in the storm-affected areas are vast and we are grateful for the opportunity that SLLS provided us to help meet some of the legal needs of our clients in New Orleans. We will never forget their gratitude."

This specific LSBA Pro Bono Award is given to any law firm located in Louisiana or that has provided pro bono legal services to the citizens of Louisiana. The hours of pro bono services committed, as established by Rule 6.1 of Louisiana's Rules of Professional Conduct, are strongly considered by the awards committee when reviewing the law firm's application. Though primary consideration is given to pro bono work completed during the immediate past calendar year, the committee may also consider a law firm's history of pro bono services. Nominations are submitted and voted on by the Access to Justice Committee, and the LSBA Board of Governors determine which nominees are selected.

"Womble Carlyle's recent commitment to the hurricane victims in our state who suffered so much loss and tragedy is truly a testament to the value that the firm places on helping others in times of need," said Louisiana State Bar Association Immediate Past-President, Marta-Ann Schnabel. "Womble Carlyle is truly deserving of this award."

The LSBA is a statewide organization with nearly 20,000 members. It ensures access to and aids in the administration of justice, assists the Supreme Court in the regulation of the practice of law, and upholds the honor of the courts and the profession.  The Association also promotes the professional competence of attorneys, works to increase public understanding of and respect for the law, and encourages collegiality among its members.

About Womble Carlyle
A full-service business law firm, Womble Carlyle is ranked among the AmLaw 100, American Lawyer magazine's annual list of the country's leading law firms, and is a top law firm for companies doing business in the South Atlantic and mid-Atlantic states. The firm is a recipient of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund Corporate Leadership Award, making Womble Carlyle the first law firm ever to receive the highest honor given to a business organization in recognition of its support of the Fund and its 45 member educational institutions.

Founded in 1876, Womble Carlyle operates in six states and the District of Columbia with about 550 attorneys in eleven offices located in Atlanta, GA; Greenville, SC; Charlotte, Greensboro, Raleigh, Research Triangle Park, and Winston-Salem, NC; Washington, DC; Tysons Corner, VA; Wilmington, DE; and Baltimore, MD. Although located in the South Atlantic and mid-Atlantic regions, Womble Carlyle draws its client base from across the United States.