It was August 29, 2005 when the winds howled, the rain came and panic ensued – a lady named Katrina blew through like a woman scorned. When it was over, the City of New Orleans was underwater and news headlines around the world told the story of ‘the perfect storm,’ which had once been predicted only in ‘what if’ scenarios. In its wake, it exposed the many tiny cracks in the façade of our charming city in very ugly ways. But in true Mardi Gras fashion, the parade must roll … and so the recovery and rebirth began.

In the aftermath, The Pro Bono Project (The Project), like most of the non-profits in the City, was heavily affected by this ‘perfect storm.’ Staff, clients and volunteer attorneys were spread far and wide across the United States. The court system in the city was in a state of suspension, as were most businesses and governmental entities, save the Mayor’s office and the Federal officials that poured in to survey the damage and put a number on the cost to rebuild.

Some of the ‘first responders’ to arrive in New Orleans to help The Pro Bono Project were law students. Among the many law schools who sent students and professors early on to support The Project in rebuilding were the University Of North Carolina (UNC) and the University of the District of Columbia (UDC). UNC was the first to arrive thanks to one young man, Tim Goodson, who was a native New Orleanian and had worked at The Project as an intern in 2003 – his first year in Law School. Tim, who now resides in San Francisco, shared his thoughts about the first trip down. By the way, Tim’s parents are still in New Orleans and so he does come home often – the last time for 2015 French Quarter Fest.

Hurricane Katrina Retrospective