Jacqueline Smith has had a passion for ensuring access to justice since serving as a volunteer attorney in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.  Her clients there were left with no ability to rebuild after their land records were destroyed due to the government’s practice of storing them in the basement of the courthouse.
 

 When she returned home to her law practice, she was additionally concerned with the lack of customer service offered by the Clerk’s Office.  With phones unanswered, documents unavailable and limited service availability, residents were deprived of the ability to exercise their legal rights.  Since being elected, Jacqueline has ensured that phone calls are answered by a person and not a machine.  She has made all public records available online and has launched Seals on Wheels, a mobile Clerk’s Office that allows her to provide services to residents in their neighborhoods on weekends to ensure that no one is prevented from accessing the services to which they are entitled.