Hurricane Ike: Bringing the law to the people

It’s not often that you can break through a crowd of people by announcing, “I am a lawyer! I am here to help!” But that’s exactly how Houston lawyer J. Goodwille Pierre (pictured) got through the front door of the Mt. Ararat Baptist church moments ago, as he arrived at a hurricane-relief clinic sponsored by the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN). Entering the church, Pierre could only exclaim, “Oh my goodness!” as he encountered a crowd he estimated at about 200 people. Pierre says ACORN had asked him to help marshal lawyers to meet with attendees to help them deal with Ike-related issues. “I think they will be similar to what we did with Hurricane Katrina, issues with insurance claims, child care concerns, elder law issues,” says Pierre, who directed the State Bar's Hurricane Relief Task Force in 2005. So far, Pierre says, he has 20 lawyer-volunteers confirmed for the meeting, mostly solos with two or three from mid-sized firms. “There is no way I would have expected this,” says Pierre, looking again at the line of people snaking through the parking lot. “I was not expecting this.”
– Jenny B. Davis