Our History
The Evolution of Advocates for Disaster Justice
Two decades working together for justice
- 2005: In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Pro Bono Net, the American Bar Association's Center for Pro Bono, the National Legal Aid and Defender Association and the Legal Services Corporation joined together to launch KatrinaLegalAid.org to support the national legal relief effort for Gulf Coast residents, and legal aid attorneys, public defenders and pro bono attorneys assisting them.
- 2008: Katrina Legal Aid relaunched as DisasterLegalAid.org, the first national, centralized online resource in the U.S. for survivors in need of legal help, legal aid advocates and pro bono volunteers. DisasterLegalAid.org was developed by Pro Bono Net, the American Bar Association's Center for Pro Bono, the National Legal Aid and Defender Association, and the Legal Services Corporation.
- 2014: With funding from the Legal Services Corporation's Technology Initiative Grant program, DisasterLegalAid.org was significantly expanded in 2014 in partnership with Lone Star Legal Aid and served as a centralized national resource for disaster survivors seeking legal help information and assistance.
- 2017-2018: After the 2017 major disasters and with support from the JPB Foundation, Pro Bono Net and Lone Star Legal Aid collaborated to develop the National Disaster Legal Aid Advocacy Center, to help address a nationwide need to network public interest legal advocates working on disaster legal aid and share advocacy resources and tools across regions.
- Since 2017, Pro Bono Net, Lone Star Legal Aid and our allies have trained more than 5,000 advocates and the Advocate Network has served as a crucial knowledge-sharing and networking hub for more than 50 federally-declared emergencies, including the Covid-19 pandemic.
- 2023: DisasterLegalAid.org changed its name to Advocates for Disaster Justice to better reflect our mission of advancing equity, rights, and resilience for people and communities impacted by climate-driven disasters.