disaster legal services

When the President declares a major disaster, FEMA, through an agreement with the Young Lawyers Division of the American Bar Association, provides free legal assistance to disaster victims. Legal advice is limited to cases that will not produce a fee (i.e., these attorneys work without payment). Cases that may generate a fee are turned over to the local lawyer referral service.

The assistance that participating lawyers provide typically includes:

• Assistance with insurance claims (life, medical, property, etc.)
• Counseling on landlord/tenant problems
• Assisting in consumer protection matters, remedies, and procedures
• Replacement of wills and other important legal documents destroyed in a major disaster

Disaster legal services are provided to low-income individuals who, prior to or because of the disaster, are unable to secure legal services adequate to meet their needs as a consequence of a major disaster.

Contact
For additional information regarding the Recovery Program, please contact us for your area of interest.