25 Women for 2023: Attorney Leslie Powell-Boudreaux likes problem-solving
When Leslie Powell-Boudreaux began law school at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill School of Law, she knew that her degree would be used to help people solve problems. “I worked for the National HIV-AIDS hotline during the early '90s,” she said. “Talking to people through one of the most challenging times of their lives, I learned as much about being a legal aid attorney in that job as I did during law school.”
She was one of the tallest kids in elementary school, and thus the default defender of her friends when they were picked on. “I had a good sense of equity,” she says, “and wondered why some people weren’t treated the same as other people.” That instinct to stand up for those who need an ally has helped her create a career of service and garnered recognition as one of Tallahassee’s 25 Women You Need to Know.
She began her career as an attorney with Legal Services of Greater Miami’s Employment and Economic Security unit, later moving to Pensacola to join Legal Services of North Florida as a senior attorney and then to Tallahassee when she took on the role of executive director. “Every day we solve problems for people and help others see larger problems in our community,” she says. “I like problem-solving, finding ways to make people's lives better, safer, healthier, in a way that's meaningful to them.”
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She does good work. Legal Services of North Florida, which represents low-income families in civil legal issues in 16 counties across the Florida Panhandle, was recognized by the United Way of Escambia County 2015 and 2017 Partner Agency of the Year, and the Escambia Santa Rosa Bar Association awarded Leslie with its Community Service Award in 2015.
Through her advocacy, she works to bust some of the myths about legal representation. “Poor people fall into more legal issues than most people do, whether because of inconsistent resources, instability of housing, limited access to the internet, and the lack of lived experiences about how to avoid legal issues,” she explains. “Many times they are targets. A high percentage of low-income people face at least one civil legal aid need during the year.”
But many are surprised to learn that state-appointed legal representation is reserved for the criminal justice system. “We try to fill that gap, but only about 10 to 20 percent of people who are eligible for our services are being met. There is still a lot of need out there,” she says.
She is inspired by a law school professor, Marilyn Yarbrough. “She taught my professional ethics course, focused on the ethics of public interest law, and a course on race and the law. I learned solid analytical skills from her that I could apply in a practical way. Her thirst to continue to learn and grow was contagious, and I am grateful to have seen it in action and have learned from her.”
Other mentors have helped her come out of her shell, think critically, debate intelligently, and serve broadly.
Leslie knows that community involvement goes hand-in-hand with her work in legal services. She has served as the Board President for United Partners for Human Services, as President and Vice-President of the Florida Civil Legal Aid Association, and was appointed to the Florida Courts Technology Commission and the Judicial Management Committee’s Access to Justice Workgroup by the Chief Justice of the Florida Supreme Court and to the Voluntary Bar Liaison Committee of the Florida Bar. She explains, “I enjoy being part of groups that are identifying and implementing solid solutions to problems.”
After eight years in Tallahassee, Leslie has immersed herself in the community and continues to discover more ways she can impact lives and solve problems. “I’m always amazed by the things you can learn just by paying attention,” she says. “I’ve been very fortunate to have a lot of people in my life to learn from and with whom to ask, ‘how can we make this better?’”
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Lawyer Leslie Powell-Boudreaux tries to meet need gap, solve problems
