METAIRIE, La. (WGNO) — In this final week of October, Louisiana residents will be able to get free legal advice through an event called “Lawyers and Libraries.”
The Louisiana Bar Association makes the service available.
“There is such a gap in the ability of many community members to have access to lawyers and legal answers,” said Erin Braud with the Louisiana State Bar Association.
The service is especially helpful for residents who normally couldn’t afford to see a lawyer.
“I think it’s great,” said Brad Womack when he sought legal advice at a Jefferson Parish library.
“Just to walk into a lawyer’s office, I would suspect it would cost you a couple hundred dollars just to get the answers to these simple questions. This takes care of that,” he said.
Attorneys we spoke with told us that most of the questions they get in this annual event are about wills, successions, and child custody.
“Sometimes you need a little guidance or interpretation of either Louisiana law or a contract where we’ll point you in the right direction,” said attorney Erin Kalus.
“But you don’t want to end up in some place where you have an unexpected outcome because you misinterpreted something,” she said.
Anyone living in any parish in the state can go to one of these libraries for the free advice this week:
- Monday, Oct. 24,
9 a.m. to 11 a.m.— East Bank Regional Library, 4747 W. Napoleon, Metairie – Attorney: Erin Kalus
9 a.m. to 11 a.m. — North Kenner Library, 630 W. Esplanade – Attorney: Alan Dussouy
11 a.m. to 1 p.m.— East Bank Regional Library, 4747 W. Napoleon, Metairie – Attorney: Stephanie Quigley
9 a.m. to 11 a.m. — River Ridge Library, 8825 Jefferson Highway, River Ridge – Attorney: Jason Asbill
9 a.m. to 11 a.m.— Gretna Library, 102 Willow Drive – Attorney: Megan Peterson
- Tuesday, Oct. 25
9 a.m. to 11 a.m. — North Kenner Library, 630 W. Esplanade – Attorney: Alan Dussouy
- Wednesday, Oct. 26
11 a.m. to 1 p.m., — Old Metairie Library, 2350 Metairie Road – Attorney: James Maguire
- Thursday, Oct. 27
9 a.m. to 11 a.m.— Old Metairie Library, 2350 Metairie Road – Attorney: Chad Mollere
5 p.m. to 7 p.m. — Old Metairie Library, 2350 Metairie Road – Attorney: Shermin Khan
- Friday, Oct. 28
9 a.m. to 11 a.m. — Old Metairie Library, 2350 Metairie Road – Attorney: Daniel Schwarzenbach
- Saturday, Oct. 29
9 a.m. to 11 a.m. — North Kenner Library, 630 W. Esplanade – Attorney: Herman Bastian
11 a.m. to 1 p.m. — North Kenner Library, 630 W. Esplanade – Attorney: Shermin Khan