More than 100 people were set on the path to getting their license renewed or reinstated at a driver’s license reinstatement clinic in St. James Parish, Louisiana, organized by the Koch Pro Bono team in partnership with Baker Botts and the Louisiana Office of Motor Vehicles (OMV).
Why it matters: Having a valid, up-to-date license is critical for a person’s ability to participate in their community and access vital services such as health care, education and housing.
Go deeper: The one-day event connected people from seven local parishes with free, on-site legal support in navigating the OMV processes for restoring, reinstating or renewing a license.
- To remove some of the financial barriers to getting a license reinstated, judges from the 23rd Judicial District Court were available to waive fines and penalties, as allowed by law.
- The judges were able to assist 19 people.
Baker Botts Associate Teresa Jones, Judge Keyojuan Gant Turner and Koch Methanol St. James Plant Manager Josh Wiggins come together to help the community at the Koch Pro Bono driver's license reinstatement clinic.
Koch Legal Pro Bono representative Matt Ellis says: “This clinic is about restoring mobility, opportunity and economic stability to those who have been affected by license suspensions. With the support of our local judiciary, we are ensuring that individuals have a real pathway to compliance and a fresh start.”
- Volunteers at the clinic included attorneys and representatives from Koch, Entergy and the law firms Baker Botts, Liskow and Lewis, and Kean Miller.
- “There are so many individuals who cannot get a job because they do not have a valid driver’s license — people who want to be a forklift or bus driver — and most of the reasons can be addressed but the person doesn’t know how to begin,” Koch Methanol St. James Community Affairs Coordinator Patty Prats says. “This event helps meet that need, and it’s such a wonderful feeling to see someone walk out of the event holding a license or moving further down the path to getting it back.”
- “A valid driver’s license is more than just a piece of identification — it’s a key to opportunity,” Baker Botts Associate Teresa Jones says. “At Baker Botts, we recognize that pro bono legal assistance can be a game changer for people seeking to regain their mobility and independence. We were honored to provide that assistance and are proud to continue helping those who need it most.”
- Baker Botts Partner-in-Charge of Corporate Social Responsibility Keri Brown added, “We are thrilled to continue to partner with Koch on these important matters and grateful to work with a team that ‘walks the walk’ in the communities in which they live and work.”
Zoom out: This is the second year the Koch Pro Bono team has held a driver’s license clinic in St. James.
The group will also hold similar events in Kansas and Texas later this year.
