Source of solace

• Author: Lyle Moran
• Pages: 64-66

SOURCE OF SOLACE

OFF THE BENCH, FEDERAL JUDGE DEDICATES TIME

TO HELPING OTHERS By Lyle Moran

When a Louisiana prosecutor’s

family visited South Africa for the

2010 World Cup, tragedy struck. A

drunken driver hit and killed one

of the lawyer’s sisters and left her

brother with a critical head injury.

U.S. District Judge Jay C. Zainey

in Louisiana’s Eastern District heard

the devastating news and was told

the family needed help paying for a

medical jet to bring the family home,

with the cost expected to exceed

$300,000.

Zainey did what he is well-known

for: He jumped into action. As a

judge, Zainey is not allowed to raise

money, but he did the next best

thing. Zainey emailed members of

the SOLACE program in his state to

see whether any of them had contacts

in the medical evacuation indus-

try who could help the prosecutor’s

family.

HELPING HANDS

SOLACE, which Zainey co-

founded more than 15 years ago,

stands for Support of Lawyers/Legal

Personnel—All Concern Encouraged,

and it features a broad network of

legal professionals who try to help

fellow members of the legal commu-

nity and their families in times of sig-

nifi cant need.

Less than 20 minutes

after Zainey sent the

email about the tragic

events in South Africa, a

local law professor wrote back

indicating her brother was an inten-

sive care doctor in New Orleans who

regularly uses medical transport and

would do his best to help. By the

next day, Ochsner Medical Center in

Je erson, Louisiana, agreed to send

a critical care team to South Africa to

pick up the injured man. In addition

to donating the doctors, the hospital

said it would help fund the fl ight.

Zainey says the story is just one of

many showcasing the profound gen-

erosity of legal professionals involved

in the SOLACE program, as well as

that of their contacts in other indus-

tries. SOLACE members also have

donated an SUV after fl ooding in

Louisiana; provided an apartment in

the Boston area for a family to stay

while children received treatment;

and cared for the dog of a person who

was receiving cancer treatment.

“I am always overwhelmed and

inspired by the great concern and

compassion that members

of our legal community

have for each

other,” says

Zainey,

who is

based

in

New Orleans. “It makes me proud

to be a member of our honorable

profession.”

Zainey, a 1975 graduate of the

Louisiana State University Paul M.

Hebert Law Center, says he sees

working in the law as a great way

to give back to others. He started

his legal career teamed up with a

respected criminal defense attor-

ney before going into solo practice

in 1984. In that role, Zainey han-

dled a variety of cases, including per-

sonal injury, family law and criminal

defense matters.

In the mid-1990s, Zainey became

the fi rst solo practitioner elected

president of the Louisiana State Bar

Association. During his presidency in

1995-1996, he started developing a

reputation as a leader in the legal

64 || ABA JOURNAL DECEMBER 2018

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EDITED BY LEE RAWLES

LEE.RAWLES@AMERICANBAR.ORG