Saturday, November 10, 2007

ABA Sets Up Toll-Free Legal Hotline

A toll-free legal hotline is now available for victims of the recent wildfires in Southern California. The line was created by the American Bar Association Young Lawyers Division in cooperation with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the State Bar of California and Foley & Lardner LLP.Fire victims who are unable to afford a lawyer may call the hotline at:

(866) 636-9041 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. PT;
messages may be left after this time.

Callers should identify that they are seeking fire-related legal assistance.The kind of legal help available includes:· Assistance in securing FEMA and other governmental benefits available to disaster victims· 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 through a 1978 agreement with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the ABA YLD has been called upon to provide legal assistance to victims of natural disasters. When the president declares a "major disaster," the ABA YLD mobilizes lawyers to coordinate volunteer activities through hotlines or by staffing disaster recovery centers in the hardest-hit counties.In addition to the hotline, the ABA and the State Bar of California have created comprehensive Web sites listing disaster resources: www.abanet.org/disaster and www.calbar.ca.gov .

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