Louisiana Capital Assistance Center

The Louisiana Capital Assistance Center is a New Orleans based non-profit law office established in 1993 as the Louisiana Crisis Assistance Center. The LCAC provides representation to Louisiana indigent capital defendants at the trial level. The LCAC also represents some defendants on direct appeal or post-conviction, in federal as well as state court, and in other states in the South, e.g., Mississippi and Texas.

The LCAC also acts as a resource office, consulting with public defenders handling capital cases around Louisiana. It has assisted dozens of lawyers in the region at every stage, particularly in those parishes where the death penalty is used most aggressively. The LCAC assists with case theory development, pre-trial litigation, jury selection, Atkins litigation, penalty phase preparation, and mid-trial writ writing. LCAC lawyers also conduct frequent trainings for capital counsel around the state. Recent trainings have focused on Capital Jury Project data, competency determinations, Atkins v. Virginia, eyewitness identification expert testimony, ballistics, and mitigation. The LCAC also authors reports, studies and manuals for the benefit of those practicing criminal law or working in the field of criminal justice policy.

In addition to its direct representation and consult work, the LCAC pursues individual legal issues and projects designed to have a broader impact on capital litigation. Some of these include the Motion for New Trial Project, Blackstrikes, the Mental Health Justice Project, and Client Welfare. See Projects.     

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