Tari Williams
Director of Public Interest Law Programs and Public Interest Institute
University of Alabama School of Law

Like many other law schools, the University of Alabama School of Law community felt overwhelmed by the magnitude of Hurricane Katrina's impact on Alabama and the Gulf Coast. Searching for a way to help, in consultation with the Tuscaloosa Bar Association, we formed the Hurricane Katrina Legal Assistance Project (HKLAP). The HKLAP operated at the Law School's Public Interest Institute combining volunteer efforts of students and local attorneys.

Through the HKLAP, more than 80 first, second, and third-year law students assisted Hurricane Katrina victims. The students met people who had lost everything, people who did not want to go back, and people who wanted to return to their homes but could not because there was nothing left. The students and volunteer lawyers handled FEMA problems, insurance coverage cases, housing issues, and family law disputes. The students learned as much about the courage and resiliency of the people impacted by the storm as they did about the law. Emily Hines, a second-year UA Law student and HKLAP volunteer, was struck by one of her client's plight. Months after Katrina hit, this man was still searching for his sister and her family. He didn't know where his sister was and he didn't know how to find her. Emily had trouble imagining where he found the strength and determination to rebuild his life and be reunited with his family.

The University of Alabama School of Law's commitment to Katrina victims crossed our state's borders. A group of UA Law students and I went to Mississippi over spring break to assist the Mississippi Center for Justice with victims still reeling from the devastating affects of Hurricane Katrina. The Break for Public Service Program (BPSP), coordinated through the Law School's Public Interest Institute and the Student Hurricane Network, immersed students in a multitude of projects including housing preservation, collecting oral histories, and community development initiatives.

I had not traveled to the Gulf Coast since Hurricane Katrina. I did not want to go just to see the destruction. I wanted to go in a capacity that would allow me to put my skills and experience to use. The spring break trip allowed me and the students to do that, contributing to rebuilding the lives and spirits of those most affected.

Service learning opportunities such as the HKLAP and BPSP help law students discover the power of the law and the value of public service and empathy. They receive first-hand opportunities to examine the dimensions and urgency of poverty and other social issues that many will confront during their legal careers. They walk away from these experiences inspired and challenged to find avenues for continued community involvement and to work towards social justice and positive social change.