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Susan M. Holden, a partner in the firm, has distinguished herself representing injured people. Her career accomplishments include several million-dollar recoveries for her clients.

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Susan M. Holden - Press

Out of Tragedy, We Can Make a Difference

October 2005 - Bench & Bar of Minnesota - by Susan M. Holden

Anyone who has been there will tell you: news reports do not fully depict the depth or breadth of destruction and human tragedy caused by Hurricane Katrina. When the storm approached, it was difficult to imagine that over a million people would need to be evacuated, that many of those would lose everything, that it would take weeks to provide for basic necessities of living, or that the entire City of New Orleans would be essentially closed.

There was no question, however, that this horrific natural disaster would bring out the caring and compassion of many citizens. People from all over our country — and all over the world — have offered aid. The legal profession is providing assistance as well.

Within days of the disaster, the Minnesota legal community sprang into action. Fred Finch and the Hon. Cara Lee Neville generously accepted my invitation to cochair the MSBF Katrina Relief Task Force and have been leading the planning efforts. The Ramsey County and Hennepin County bar associations are partnering with the MSBA in this effort.

We plan to deliver relief of three primary types: (1) direct legal services, (2) financial support, and (3) in-kind donations. Our primary efforts aim to assist in rebuilding the legal infrastructure in areas of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama that suffered the greatest destruction. But we are also providing assistance for those evacuated to Minnesota as well as encouraging further donations to select organizations providing humanitarian relief.

When we learned there would be 3,000 evacuees transported to Camp Ripley near Little Falls, we organized volunteer pro bono and legal services attorneys to be at the camp to provide legal assistance. MSBA members Jackie Schuh, a JAG officer who was responsible for coordinating the provision of legal services at Camp Ripley, and Abigail Turner, litigation director of Mid-Minnesota Legal Assistance, were instrumental in this effort. Although the evacuees ultimately did not arrive at Camp Ripley and fewer came to Minnesota than had been anticipated, our preparation efforts were not without purpose.

An estimated 700 evacuees did arrive in Minnesota and the Katrina Processing Center was opened to provide them support, assistance, and a few basic necessities. Legal Aid attorneys have staffed the legal assistance office at the Processing Center.

Over 120 MSBA members have volunteered to assist Katrina evacuees with their legal needs. We anticipate that there will continue to be a strong need for lawyers in the areas of insurance, bankruptcy, employment law, unemployment benefits, family law, probate, elder law and others. Volunteer Lawyers Network is matching the clients with lawyers who practice in the areas of client concern. Anyone wishing to volunteer should contact MSBA’s Pro Bono Coordinator, Caroline Palmer, at (612) 278-6308.

Katrina wreaked substantial destrution upon the legal systems in the Gulf states, flooding courthouses, damaging facilities, and destroying court files and evidence. Many judges and court personnel are without homes. An estimated one-third of Louisiana’s lawyers lost their offices, their libraries, their computers, their files and, in some cases, their clients. The ABA estimates that over 5,200 of its members in the Gulf states have been affected by this disaster.

When Minnesota’s legal community suffered similar losses in the 1997 Red River flooding, the MSBA coordinated relief offered by MSBA members. We raised money and accumulated donations of books, office furnishings and other supplies so that lawyers who lost their offices could get back to earning a living and serving their clients. In that same spirit we can assist the legal communities in the destroyed areas of the Gulf states.

By coordinating the relief efforts of MSBA members, we can maximize our effectiveness and minimize logistical costs. The state bar associations in the affected states have set up relief organizations within their foundations. We will consult with those foundations and support their efforts. We also hope to address some of the needs of legal services providers in the devastated areas and provide them in-kind and other support.

The publicity about Katrina will eventually diminish, but the need for aid, support and assistance will last much longer. We will likely seek donations and offer relief at least through the end of 2005.

Focusing our efforts and money during the time of greatest need, we can make a positive difference; how great a difference is, in part, up to you. Have you given yet to this effort? If not, I am asking you to do so now.

Payments to the MSBF Katrina Relief Fund can be made electronically through a secure PayPal account accessible through our Web site: www.mnbar.org. Or, you may mail your check payable to the Minnesota State Bar Foundation, marked “Katrina Relief.” If you prefer your donation go to a particular humanitarian organization, please indicate that on your check. Otherwise, your funds will be used for rebuilding the legal community and getting lawyers and law offices back on their feet, serving their clients.