Spring get-away bar meetings are usually a time for pure fun. It's off to Las Vegas, or Cancun, or maybe a cruise. The CLE courses, which keep the event tax deductible, are lightly attended and generally over by late morning. After that, its fun, sun, and maybe a casino.
But this year's Spring Meeting of the Indiana State Bar Association was different. For me, and I think many of the other 40+ Hoosier lawyers, this was a far more meaningful experience than a CLE class and a couple of drinks at the bar. For photos of the trip, CLICK HERE.
The opening reception was attended by the presidents and executive directors of the Louisiana and New Orleans Bar Associations. They shared their sincere appreciation to the Indiana bar for not cancelling the event, then told their own stories of coping with the effects of Katrina.
Friday morning we attended serious CLE sessions dealing with the lessons learned about disaster planning and recovery. We heard a young woman lawyer tell of setting up a legal hotline for the displaced residents of New Orleans -- and doing so after losing her home and moving back to live with 13 other members of her family at her parents home. A court administrator from Pensacola talked about getting a court system up and running after a direct hit from Category 4 Hurricane Ivan. The we heard a law firm administrator talk of keeping a mid-sized firm afloat while his home was under 18 feet of water in St. Bernard Parish.
After lunch, we put on our jeans and old tee-shirts, grabbed our paint brushes, and headed to the Orleans Parish Juvenile Court. It really was a remarkable scene. This wasn't a group of second year associates. Included in those swinging paint brushes were Indiana Supreme Court Justice Frank Sullivan, current State Bar President Jim Riley, President Elect Rich Eynon, and former State Bar Presidents Clyde Compton, Jim Bourne, and Chris Fruehwald. And these folks were not there just for show. They were all carrying paint buckets, climbing ladders and doing real work. At the end of the afternoon, we were all sweaty and tired, but not one of us complained.
This wasn't a photo op. There was no one from the media there. The only cameras were by those of us in the group. And the only pay was the sincere appreciation of those who are living everyday with the reality and hope of New Orleans.
Saturday, we toured the devestation of New Orleans residential areas. It was sobering and stunning. No matter how many photos you see, or descriptions you hear, you cannot understand and feel the extent of the devestation until you see it yourself. Just over a decade ago, Hurricane Andrew blasted south Florida, destroying 20,000 homes. Katrina and its aftermath destroyed 280,000 homes. It is nearly beyond comprehension.
At the end of the tour, we all felt a renewed commitment to this place, and to the people of New Orleans.
There is so much more to tell. Even more remarkable than the things which we saw were the stories from all the people we met -- people who have lost everything, but are still carrying on one step at a time. I hope to cover a few of those in future posts.
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