Gillis Long Poverty Law Center Hosts 2026 Public Service Awards

On March 31, the Gillis Long Poverty Law Center held its annual Public Service Awards, recognizing students, alumni, faculty, and community members who have demonstrated a deep care for the community through legal work.

For more than 30 years, the College of Law has facilitated representation of low-income people through the Gillis Long Poverty Law Center. Access to civil legal services is transformative for low-income and vulnerable people. This Center was founded to give students and graduates the opportunity to engage in lawyering for those who would not otherwise have access to legal services.

"We are able to do this work at Loyola's College of Law because justice work is not an add-on; it's a central part of the mission," Associate Dean of Law Clinic and Experiential Learning Davida Finger said during the ceremony.

Below is a list of this year's honorees.

Paula M. Charles, J.D. '94

Paula Charles serves as the managing attorney in Southeast Louisiana Legal Services' Covington office. Before joining SLLS, she worked at the St. Tammany Parish Public Defender's Office. In her time at SLLS, Paula has handled domestic violence and family law cases in St. Tammany and Washington Parishes, helping SLLS expand its reach to rural Washington Parish victims by establishing a courthouse based Domestic Violence Help Desk in Franklinton.

Paula is actively involved in the Louisiana State Bar Association's Self-Represented Litigant Task Force to help improve access to forms and legal information to try to help address Louisiana's unrepresented litigant crisis. She is also involved in a new project - the Department of Justice's Violence Against Women Act Northshore Legal Assistance to Victims grant - which partners with Safe Harbor to provide coordinated legal help to victims.

Professor Sarah C. Douglas, J.D. '10

Professor Douglas serves as professor of practice in the Academic Success and Bar Preparation Department at the College of Law. Outside of her work at Loyola, Professor Douglas is a member of Dames de Perlage, an organization that stocks community fridges around the city. Monthly, she cooks and portions out meals or buys pantry supplies to stock fridges near her house.

Joseph "Jay" D. Hebert, III, J.D. '88

Jay Hebert joined SLLS in 1992 as a staff attorney. For more than 20 years, Jay has devoted his career to providing critical legal services to low-income consumers in collections, consumer debt, bankruptcy, Road Home disputes, student loan issues, and more. He has managed consumer work in the New Orleans office for over ten years and has directly handled over 2,700 cases.

Tavaziva Mazhindu, 3L

Tava started his legal career as an intern at Mazhindu & Mugombeza Legal Practitioners in Zimbabwe. After his first year at the College of Law, Tava was selected for the prestigious Access to Justice Internship Program through the LSBA and continued serving the New Orleans community through internships with the 24th Judicial District Court and Dean Landrieu's Pace to Home program. He is also a student leader, with roles in the Advocacy Center's Trial Advocacy Program and in the Law Clinic as civil litigation student practitioner.

Professor Tim McEvoy

Professor McEvoy joined the clinic faculty in 2025 as an associate clinic professor, bringing nearly twenty years of experience advocating for domestic violence survivors facing eviction and housing instability. Before his role in clinical teaching, Professor McEvoy served as a staff attorney at SLLS.

Malaak Ottallah, 3L

As a student practitioner in the immigration clinic, Malaak advocates for the rights of immigrants. Before joining the clinic, Malaak interned with the Orleans Parish District Attorney's Office, the International Legal Foundation in Palestine, and SLLS. She also served as a Judicial Law Clerk to the Honorable Angel Harris in Orleans Parish Criminal Court. She has also volunteered as a tutor and an Arabic translator.

Courtney Schroeder, J.D. '06

Currently serving as the deputy judicial administrator for the Jefferson Parish Juvenile Court, Courtney's impact is most visible through her work with the Family Preservation Program. She has become a lifeline for families in crisis, personally coordinating the collection of food, clothing, and essential furniture to ensure children and their families have stable homes. By treating every family member with unwavering dignity, she transforms the court from a place of legal process into a place of true restoration.

Alicia Sucre, 3L

Alicia has shown her commitment to service as a student practitioner in the youth defense clinic section. Before joining the clinic, she interned with SLLS, working closely with low-income and vulnerable clients facing housing instability, domestic violence, and other civil legal crises. Alicia also worked with the Center for Social Justice, advancing the cases of individuals sentenced to death in Louisiana. Outside of law school, Alicia continues to serve her community through volunteering and case managing at Inner Pup Clinic, an animal welfare organization.