The total net social return on investment for Louisiana’s civil legal aid programs during the 2022 fiscal year was 1,799%. In other words, for every $1 invested in Louisiana’s civil legal aid services, these programs deliver $17.99 in immediate and long-term consequential financial benefits.
The Louisiana Bar Foundation engaged an independent organization, Community Services Analysis LLC, to conduct a SROI analysis, an internationally standardized and accepted process, of more than 45 of Louisiana’s civil legal aid organizations for the 2022 fiscal year.
The SROI analysis is a measurement of the values delivered during the fiscal year 2022. The Analysis revealed that the net economic impact value resulting from Louisiana civil legal activities during the year totaled $148,755,000. *These values are based on the number of clients and types of legal matters handled during the period. In fiscal year 2022, Louisiana’s civil legal aid organizations helped in over 100 types of civil legal problems including family law, housing, healthcare, consumer protection, public benefits, employment, and community support issues.
The social return on investment for Louisiana’s civil legal aid organizations is higher than many other types of social service organizations. This is based on the high delivery and variety of legal services that result in significant future cost savings or additional income to the state of Louisiana and the number of volunteer (pro bono) hours of legal services delivered by attorneys in Louisiana.
*The effects of COVID-19 resulting in closure of the court systems for an extended period with a resulting delay then increased volumes of high-impact case decisions including Neglected and Abused Dependents, Social Security Disability Insurance decisions, mortgage foreclosures, and private landlord/tenant issues. Also, catastrophic hurricane damage in Louisiana resulting in a surge in demand for real estate successions involving disaster benefits and preserving the client’s equity in their homes all contributed to the 2022 economic impact values being extraordinarily higher than in previous years.
For a review of the Economic Impact and Social Return on Investment of Civil Legal Aid Services for the State of Louisiana, click on the following link:
