Community Partnerships

Tulane Law School promotes active student and faculty involvement in community and professional organizations in order to forge strategic alliances with local, regional, national, and global diversity partners. These alliances contribute to the diversity initiatives at the Law School, and also provide viable networking opportunities for our students to demonstrate leadership skills, professional responsibility and community involvement with alumni, practitioners, and potential employers.

Entertainment Law Legal Assistance (ELLA)

ELLA is an initiative of Tulane Law School’s pro bono program, the Tipitina’s Foundation, and the Arts Council of New Orleans. The organization was formed in January 2005 in response to the overwhelming need for legal services by artists and entertainers who could not otherwise afford to hire attorneys to protect and enforce their rights. ATulane Law graduate entertainment law attorney who is an expert in intellectual property issues supervises Tulane law students as they help provide pro bono legal advice. ELLA provides continuing legal advice and education to its clients, who may avail themselves of a variety of legal services. ELLA has assisted local artists with life rights issues, copyright issues, sync licenses, mechanical licenses, and master use licenses for film and soundtracks. Scores of artists have also benefited from ELLA research and assistance with issues outside of the entertainment industry, such as landlord-tenant disputes and successions to help clients establish the documentation needed to secure post-Katrina housing settlements.

Tulane Project for Older Prisoners (POPS)

POPS was established at Tulane Law School in 1989 to address the problems of prisoner overcrowding and the rapidly growing geriatric inmate population in Louisiana’s prisons. The primary mission of POPS is to aid elderly and infirm inmates in seeking parole. Members of Tulane POPS travel to one of five state prisons and conduct interviews of inmates who may be eligible for POPS representation at a future parole hearing. Law students gather data, contact relevant resources, and analyze cases so that they may advocate for the selected inmate before the State of Louisiana Board of Parole. POPS offers an excellent opportunity for Tulane law students to obtain experience in interviewing and in oral advocacy under the supervision of an experienced practitioner. This program has gained national attention and has served as a model for similar programs across the nation.