About Us - Haitian Lawyers Association

HLA, which was founded in 1989 and reassembled in 1997, is a voluntary bar organization whose primary objective is to promote the general welfare of the Haitian community in South Florida. With a membership of over 65 attorneys and judges, HLA is has made great progress is accomplishing this objective. HLA has accomplished this objective through its public access television show - Kozé Legal and through HLA sponsored community activities. Also, HLA fosters awareness and commitment to the civil and political rights of Haitian people through advocacy and legal representation.

HLA has accomplished this objective through its public access information television show - Kozé Legal. Since 1999, HLA has provided the South Florida community with its own variety of a legal talk show. Koze Legal is an informational television show taped in Creole and is produced, directed and hosted by HLA members. Koze Legal seeks to inform the Haitian community about informative issues from Immigration rights to Landlord/Tenant issues, to Domestic Violence concerns. Koze Legal currently airs weekly on Island Magazine Television.

And now, thanks to a grant by the Florida Bar Foundation, Koze Legal can be heard on the radio every Sunday from 1:30 p.m. to 2:00 pm on 1020 WRHB.

Moreover, HLA serves the Haitian community by providing free legal representation to indigent clients, advocating on behalf of Haitian refugees, conducting informational sessions and town hall meetings, and participating in citizenship drives as well as a host of other activities.

In addition to serving the larger community, HLA is also committed to protecting the interest of Haitian-American lawyers and minority lawyers in the South Florida area. HLA continues to provide programs to support the professional development of its members and the growth of Haitian-American lawyers. For example, HLA provides annual scholarships to Haitian-American law students who are enrolled in the local law schools.

Every year, the Scholarship and Awards Gala raises funds for needy law students in the four South Florida law schools. In addition, this year HLA is providing funds to provide tuition for Haitian students in the devastated area of Gonaives, Haiti after the City was virtually destroyed by Hurricane Jeanne.

HLA's mission is very simple--to protect the interest of the Haitian community. In protecting the interest of the community, HLA will follow its motto: Practicing in all areas, organized to make a difference.