Meet Amelia Hoppe | Executive Director Emergency Legal Responders

We had the good fortune of connecting with Amelia Hoppe and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Amelia, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
When Caitlin Morgenstern and I founded Emergency Legal Responders (ELR) in 2017, our goal was to revolutionize disaster recovery by empowering individuals with the knowledge that they have inalienable disaster rights. Witnessing countless people slip through the cracks due to inaccessible legal support in our home base of New Orleans, we knew something had to change. Our work in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands after Hurricanes Irma and Maria, where we often had to create innovative educational models to cope with faulty systems, inspired me to embark on a cross-country journey to understand what a national disaster rights organization should look like by listening to the people it would impact. Camping at night and donning a suit by day, I met with various organizations, tribes, communities, and schools to understand their needs and the gaps in our current patchwork model. This journey revealed a severe deficiency in legal and social support, which in turn left deep, enduring scars on communities. Legal needs, often forgotten in disaster recovery, are as crucial as emergency food, water, shelter, and medical care as they have the longest generational impact. Recognizing this, we established ELR to provide accessible disaster rights education, training, and community clinics. With the increasing frequency and severity of natural disasters, our services are more essential than ever. We have tackled challenges in areas ranging from fire-devastated Hawaii to flood-stricken Vermont and hurricane-damaged Texas and work to pioneer disaster rights to be a part of long-term preparedness, recovery, and resilience.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Creating Emergency Legal Responders (ELR) has been a wild ride, fueled by the support of radical advocates and the DIY ethos. From crafting protest zines with friends on sweltering Gulf Coast rooftops to sneaking home at dawn covered in spray paint (and knowing how to clean up, thanks to my socially conscious parents), I’ve been guided by a culture of challenging norms and igniting change. Punk ideologies like anti-authoritarianism, anti-consumerism, and direct action resonate deeply with my mission to revolutionize legal advocacy. I strive to make legal support accessible and less intimidating- attempting to shatter the typical lawyer stereotype (I was often asked if I was “lost” in law school). Legalese was designed to oppress, and the notion of being a “voice for the voiceless” is nonsense—people are smart and just need the tools to be heard. Whether sharing iced tea with librarians after setting up a generator for an emergency protective order or running a disaster rights preparation wills clinic in a dive bar during happy hour, I believe in breaking down barriers and building trust by meeting people where they are. A lawyer in a t-shirt and cutoffs with a permanent markered sign saying “Free Legal Help” is a million times more effective than a program out in the ether with no plan to reach its constituents. Inspired by mutual aid and respect, we can challenge the status quo and achieve anything we set our minds to.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
When friends visit New Orleans, we tailor our itinerary depending on the season (if you’ve ever been here in July—you know what I mean). We start with donuts at Saint Coffee, then head to Crescent Park to watch the steamboats. The afternoon is spent exploring the French Quarter, visiting the Pharmacy Museum, and enjoying daiquiris on the Moonwalk steps. The next day, we dive into local culture at the Backstreet Cultural Museum in the Treme and head up to Midcity to stroll along Bayou Saint John and visit City Park. Midweek, we explore the Garden District, walk through historic cemeteries, and stroll down St. Charles Avenue. We take the streetcar to the Marigny for live jazz and dancing on Frenchmen Street. To wrap up their time here, we spend a day in the Bywater district with lunch at Small Mart, enjoying iced tea on various neighbors’ porches and wandering around the Music Box Village. We watch the sunset from the levee in the 9th Ward in the evening. Depending on the time of year, we might also visit festivals like the Louisiana Fur & Wildlife Festival, the Rayne Frog Festival, or the Festival International de Louisiane.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Absolutely! Emergency Legal Responders (ELR) success is deeply rooted in the unwavering support and dedication of our incredible working board, resilient staff, supportive friends and family, and the inspiring activists and advocates who drive us forward. As a small organization, it requires all hands on deck to meet the tremendous needs we encounter. Our board members are not just governance figures; they are actively involved in strategic planning, fundraising, and volunteering at community clinics and training sessions. Our staff-although few in number- often have to work from their cars with mud on their boots while traveling directly to affected areas to provide immediate assistance. I’ll never forget one of my hurricane clinics in Larose, Louisiana. Everything was going smoothly until a sudden flash flood hit. My car got trapped in a rising tide of muddy water. Residents put on their wet boots, and together, we pushed my car—and all their crucial legal documents—out of the muck. I even lost a boot in the chaos! This moment was a powerful reminder of how it takes all hands on deck to make a small but mighty organization possible.

Website: https://www.emergencylegalresponders.org/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emergencylegalresponders/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/emergencylegalresponders/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ELResponders

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emergencylegalresponders/

Image Credits
Kayla Palmer, Caitlin Morgenstern