Lawyers in North Carolina are offering more than legal pro bono work in the aftermath of Hurricane Florence which ravaged most of the state. 27 people have been confirmed dead and the numbers are expected to rise, according to the North Carolina Department of Public Safety. However, lawyers have stepped up to the plate and given their all through donations and by physically helping people trapped in the flood waters. [1]
Three legal organizations in North Carolina have been providing legal aid to people affected by the storm. The organizations are the North Carolina Bar Association’s Young Lawyers Division, the North Carolina Bar Foundation, and Legal Aid of North Carolina. Providing free legal advice is an underrated yet very vital part of the relief efforts being offered by assistance groups on the ground.
The North Carolina Bar Foundation provides free legal answers on the freelegalanswers.org [2] website through attorneys associated with the North Carolina Bar Foundation. They seek to connect people affected by the flood with the legal aid they may need at this crucial time, and have dedicated a section of the page just for legal relief efforts in North Carolina. These services include document replacement, probate, and insurance conflicts.
A disaster services hotline has been set up as a joint effort by the NCBA and Legal Aid. Services started on September 19th, 2018 and are ongoing. Anyone affected by Hurricane Florence can dial in and have their legal issues addressed with this exclusive hotline. The hotline was set up just for low-income hurricane victims who can’t afford the costs of an attorney, especially at this time. If callers fall under a specified set of guidelines and qualify for assistance, Legal Aid will connect them with a volunteer attorney who will assist them with their legal issues.
The legal aid project needs more volunteer attorneys to pitch in [3] and attorneys can sign up using a form created just for the initiative. Andrew Jones, Representative to the American Bar Association Young Lawyers Division, says that the need for attorneys won’t be short-term, but will go on for months due to the severity of the hurricane. [4]
Sign up to become a legal aid attorney in North Carolina by visiting http://www.legalaidnc.org/get-help/self-help-library/disaster-relief.
Links
1. https://nclawyersweekly.com/2018/09/20/how-the-nc-legal-community-is-helping-after-florence/
2. https://freelegalanswers.org
a. https://nc.freelegalanswers.org/
3. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfZIBaV8gSixxm_xdvDWqxKKCbVVC85p939XMZOc0O3aqvQsQ/viewform
4. https://www.ncbar.org/florence/for-volunteer-attorneys/
5. http://www.legalaidnc.org/get-help/self-help-library/disaster-relief
