The Innocence Project New Orleans (IPNO) will celebrate its 20th anniversary with a fundraising gala on Saturday, December 4, at The Broadside with music by the Hot 8 Brass Band.

IPNO began when founding director Emily Bolton was awarded a two-year fellowship from the National Association for Public Interest Law (now Equal Justice Works) in 2000 to review the cases of life-sentenced inmates in Louisiana who may have been wrongly convicted but had no way of proving it from inside prison without a lawyer.

Incorporated as a two-person operation in 2001, IPNO has since grown to be one of the most successful innocence projects in the country. As a free-standing, non-profit law office with specialized full-time staff attorneys and investigators working cases from start to finish, IPNO is supported by scores of law school and undergraduate student volunteers, all of whom make it possible for the legal team to provide professional representation to innocent prisoners at no cost.

In addition to a concert by the Hot 8, the family-friendly event will include an open bar, food vendors (Ms. Linda’s YaKaMein and The Black Roux Collective), and the screening of a short film about IPNO’s work over the last two decades. The event will honor every client who has been reunited with loved ones. Tickets are $65 with free admission for children age 12 and under. The gala is black-tie optional with suggested fun and festive attire.

The Broadside is located at 600 N. Broad Street. For more information and tickets, visit here.