By Mark Judson

The Barristers Bingo is back!  After a two-year hiatus (you know, the usual COVID, hurricane(s), freeze, and flood delays) the super- fun, Pioneer-Club-style bingo fundraiser for the SWLA Law Center makes its triumphant return on Thursday, May 5, at the Pioneer Club. Get your table now!

Any way you look at it, vertical, diagonal or horizontal, we have to have access to justice for all of our citizens of SWLA.   A healthy, functioning  civil justice system is a necessary component of a healthy community. In order for our citizens to resolve their disputes in a decent and orderly fashion, they must have access to the system.

The Law Center’s mission is to provide  access to justice (i.e. legal representation in the court system) to the under-resourced of SWLA. We charge our clients for our services on a sliding scale.  We help people who are too rich for free legal aid.  My favorite way to say it is that we are “low bono,” not pro bono.

We only handle civil cases. We do not take on criminal cases or personal injury cases. We do not sue business, industry or government. We only take on those matters where one has to pay an attorney out his or her own pocket (i.e. child custody, domestic violence, divorce, successions, intrafamily adoptions, real estate ownership issues, interdictions, expungements etc.).

In order for us to meet this mission,  we need the help of the larger community. The Barristers Bingo is a great way to help the Law Center. For those who are unfamiliar, the Pioneer Club has a wonderful family night bingo for its members.  It features a casual fried chicken buffet and several fun bingo games. The fantastic views of the Pioneer Club, overlooking and the lake and the Calcasieu River, make the event even more fun.

The Barristers Bingo is the Pioneer Club family night bingo on steroids.  It starts at 5:30 p.m. with a robust happy hour. At 6:15 p.m. the buffet opens. Around the 7 p.m., the program begins which features five fun bingo games, fabulous prizes, and local celebrity bingo callers.

The prizes are unique.  One prize offers a different perspective from Dr. Craig Crawford who will provide a drone video experience from on high – great for property inspections, events, or just fooling around. Another interesting prize is a night with Lake Charles attorney and renowned solo guitarist performer Phillip DeVilbiss. Phillip will provide live entertainment for the lucky winner’s next party or event.

Barristers Bingo is made possible in part by Jack Drouilhet and ServPro of Lake Charles who has been a lead sponsor since the event began back in 2018.

The mission of the SWLA Law Center can only continue if people like you buy tables ($1,100 for a table of eight) or individual seats ($150 per person). Contact the Law Center, 337-436-3308, for more info.

Let’s not gamble with providing access to justice to the under resourced of SWLA. Unless, of course, we are talking about the Barristers Bingo.

•

Mark M. Judson is executive director of the Southwest Louisiana Law Center, Inc. Contact him at 436-3308, or mjudson@swla-law-center.com.