The nonprofit, which has been unable to return to its own storm-damaged offices at 7 Hanover Square, has fielded more than 100 calls each day on a storm helpline. And it has trained more than 1,500 attorneys who have developed a caseload of several hundred storm victims.
Garden City lawyer Jeremy Walsh is one of 80 volunteer attorneys who have helped almost 500 people through 10 clinics organized by the Nassau County Bar Association.
"You're counseling them to go through their own thought process," said Walsh. "So many people have questions on whether to stay or go" from homes and apartments that have been heavily damaged.
Among the advice he gives tenants is to "read your lease" because there may be circumstances in which they can break it.
The Legal Aid Society, which is also still displaced from its 199 Water St. headquarters, said its existing community-based programs, together with its storm-specific legal clinics, have helped 5,000 families, individuals and small business owners.
Both Legal Aid and NYLAG have sent RVs staffed by volunteer attorneys into hard-hit areas such as Coney Island, Far Rockaway, Red Hook and parts of Staten Island.
"There's a continued need for housing and shelter and the restoration of social services," said Steven Banks, attorney-in-chief.
Staten Island Legal Services is answering questions through its intake phone line, and its attorneys have been attending legal clinics twice a week.
"The extent of the damage is so great. You could see people's lives have been decimated. There were people's houses lying literally on the ground," said Nancy Goldhill, the group's project director.
The state bar, which has trained more than 2,000 lawyers on hurricane matters, recently launched a relief fund to provide financial support to local bar and legal services groups helping storm victims.
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Chris
Great article to help raise awareness of the fundamental necessities of life that pro bono takes care of in the aftermath of disasters and in every day lives of those who cannot afford the legal services they need. Kudos to the legal profession! And kudos to lawyers and doctors who take it to the next level by teaming up to provide interrelated medical-legal safety net services. Check out the examples in this op-ed from medical school dean Claire Pomeroy at University of California Davis. http://www.beckershospitalreview.com/hospital-management-administration/fixing-americas-health-and-legal-services-safety-net.html
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