Today we took a big picture
approach to examining the legal issues those with AIDS face, and the justice
that lawyers in Louisiana are fighting to deliver through first hand accounts
of lawyers, law firm staff, and their cases.
We first met with the lead office
executive and the lead paralegal for the AIDS Law firm. After a brief
introduction to the staff and tour of the office, we were lectured on the
importance of confidentiality and ethics for clients and their personal health
information (PHI). We even were each assigned reading on the 1996 HIPAA law and
the law’s recent Omnibus provision followed by a 25 question multiple-choice
exam on the issue. We all passed. Then, as a group we had a lengthy discussion
and learned about: (1) the history of AIDS law in the US and in LA; (2) the
history of the firm we are volunteering for, (3) and the current legal and
financial issues the firm faces.
We learned all the types of
services the firm offers (disability, discrimination, and wills to name a few),
and got many detailed explanations of cases the law firm has dealt with,
including many real life examples with their accompanying legal issues. We
discussed how cases are brought and how to deal with a variety of clients (many
of whom are mentally ill, physically sick, or have other life trauma). Each
case also had a discussion of the personal element of interacting with the
client, and through that we learned about all the social, economic, and health
polices that are most affecting those with AIDS.
We then took a field trip to meet
with a prominent Louisiana lawyer who is currently working on same-sex marriage
cases, and he gave us his legal outlook on the issue. Then, he led a tour to
the Louisiana Supreme Court where we met one of the judges, and learned about
the unique characteristics of Louisiana’s Napoleonic code, highlighted by a
special tour of the rare book room, where we were discussed historical
constitutional issues with the lead librarian of the court.
We all then had lunch together
downtown, where we further discussed local issues and movements to help the
AIDS affected community, and the effects of the Affordable Care Act on that
community.
Jordan Philips and Raziya Brumfield
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