Christy Kane
In this interview, Christy Kane talks about the creation of Louisiana Appleseed, an advocacy organization that works to solve societal problems by altering public policy. She was initially an attorney at Adams and Reese LLP, a law firm that incubated Louisiana Appleseed, and soon became the organization’s executive director. Kane discusses Louisiana Appleseed’s efforts to reform property and heirship laws after natural disasters, so that people could get access to funding to repair their homes. She talks about the process of proposing changes to the law, negotiating, and compromising with opposition, as well as the features of Louisiana's civil law system. Kane also discusses Louisiana Appleseed’s collaboration with Appleseed centers in other states to promote disaster recovery on the U.S. Gulf Coast. Lastly, she talks about working with local organizations to make sure that any change in legislation actually benefits the people it was meant to help.
At the time of this interview, Christy Kane was Louisiana Appleseed’s first executive director. She began working with Louisiana Appleseed in 2007. Kane left her position as a class-action litigator at Adams and Reese LLP, a firm in New Orleans, in 2009 to work with Louisiana Appleseed full time. She received her law degree from George Washington University in Washington, D.C.