The new National Disaster Legal Aid (http://www.disasterlegalaid.org) website serves as a national clearinghouse for legal information and resources to persons affected by disasters, legal aid lawyers providing representation, and volunteer attorneys wishing to assist others.
The goals of this new permanent disaster website are to:
1) Serve as a centralized national resource for legal aid and pro bono attorneys across the country on legal issues related to all types of disasters;
2) Recruit and help mobilize pro bono attorneys in the aftermath of a disaster; and
3) Provide accurate and timely information on legal issues, related to disasters, to the low income public affected by disasters.
The National Disaster Legal Aid website currently consists of three main sections:
For People Who Need Help
State by state links and information on how to receive assistance with a number of legal and non-legal problems, including finding a legal aid or pro bono lawyer, locating emergency and temporary housing, filing insurance claims, and understanding their legal rights and what they can do to protect them.
For Legal Aid Attorneys
Links and information on legal services disaster materials, including Morrison and Forrester Helping Handbooks, American Bar Association's Bar Leader Toolkit, Florida Legal Assistance Disaster Manual, and Lawyer's Committee for Civil Rights Under the Law: Disaster Relief Manual, among others. Updates from FEMA and directives to LSC-funded programs are included as well.
For Pro Bono Volunteers
Information for lawyers and other legal professionals who want to offer pro bono assistance to persons affected by disasters.
In addition, the site hosts general relevant news to the public interest legal community on disaster legal services as well as RSS feeds from relevant government agencies as available.
Built on the successful partnership and experience of the Katrina Legal Aid Resource Center, the National Disaster Legal Aid website has been launched and maintained by the American Bar Association, Legal Services Corporation, National Legal Aid & Defender Association and Pro Bono Net.
All four partner organizations are adding new content frequently to the website. The site also has an online form where the community can submit and share helpful content with peers. =20
=20
For more information, please contact John C. Eidleman at LSC 202-295-1640, eidlemaj@lsc.gov <mailto:eidlemaj@lsc.gov> .