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The organization formed in October 10, 1967 by SWLA Legal
Services Society Inc. At that time they were the first legal services in
Louisiana. The original incorporators included:
- R. W. Farrar, Jr.
- A. Lane Plauchet
- Fred H. Sievert, Jr.
- Warren E. Hood
- William L. McLeod, Jr.
- Aj Planchard
Three of the original members became judges and two became
heads of major law firms. The office was originally funded through a grant
from federal government through civil rights legislation. The first
director was Ms. XXXXXX
In 1974, Legal Services Corporation (LSC) was formed in
Washington D.C. The SWLA Law Center became one of its grantees. The grant
is an annual recurring amount based on the size of the poverty population
in the area you serve. In 2000, LSC in Washington had an initiative to merge
offices throughout the country. At this time, Lake Charles severed with
LSC. Lafayette remains the LSC grantee. At the same time the Hammond office
merged with the New Orleans office..
In 2000, we ended our association with LSC and have become
an independent nonprofit law office.
In 2000, SWLA Law Center lost a 90% portion of its federal
funding of the annual budget due to budget cuts. SWLA Law Center became
a United Way Agency in 2000. United Way, based on it's needs assessment
survey performed on the five parish communities. The survey concluded that
the second major need in the communities was affordable legal services for
working people who were not eligible for free legal services and could not
afford regular legal fees.
Currently the SWLA Law Center is operating in five parishes,
consisting of Calcasieu, Cameron , Allen, Beauregard, and Jeff Davis.
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