FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 21, 2006
Contact: Judith Berrett
Director of Member and Community Relations
206-727-8212; judithb@wsba.org
Legal Services for Flood Victims
Seattle, Washington, December 21, 2006 The state of Washington received a major disaster declaration (FEMA-1671-DR-WA) on December 12, for severe storms and flooding with an incident period from November 2-November 11, 2006. Clark, Cowlitz, Grays Harbor, King, Lewis, Pierce, Skagit, Skamania, Snohomish, Thurston, and Wahkiakum counties were affected.
Those who have legal problems caused by the November flood and who cannot afford their own lawyer can get free legal advice from local volunteer lawyers. Volunteers from the Washington State Bar Association are available now to give legal advice. Victims of the flood needing legal assistance but who are unable to afford it are advised to call the Disaster Legal Services line at 866-434-8939. The kind of legal help available includes:
Help with insurance claims for doctor and hospital bills, loss of property, loss of life, etc.
Drawing up new wills and other legal papers lost in the flood.
Help with home repair contracts and contractors.
Advice on landlord/tenant problems.
Advice on eviction or foreclosure problems.
Preparing powers of attorney.
Help with guardianship and other similar legal papers.
How Lawyers Can Provide Help: The Disaster Legal Services Program
Under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, as amended, 42 U.S.C. §§5121 et seq. (Stafford Act), whenever the President declares a major disaster in any part of the country, federal assistance is made available to supplement the efforts and resources of state and local governments and voluntary organizations. This federal assistance is coordinated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and includes the furnishing of free legal services to low-income victims of such major disasters pursuant to §5182 of the Stafford Act.
FEMA and the Young Lawyers Division (YLD) of the American Bar Association have established a Disaster Legal Services Program to activate attorneys willing to implement this statutory provision by rendering legal services on a volunteer basis should a major disaster be declared in their area. These attorneys may spend several hours at a FEMA Disaster Recovery Center to provide legal guidance to qualifying individuals victims and/or permit their names and telephone numbers to be included on a list of volunteer lawyers available to assist such victims. The legal service is furnished on a volunteer, non-fee basis. Washington lawyers who want to volunteer can leave a message on Disaster Legal Services line (866-434-8939).
About the Washington State Bar Association
The WSBA is part of the judicial branch, exercising a governmental function authorized by the Washington State Supreme Court to license the states 29,800 lawyers. The WSBA both regulates lawyers under the authority of the Court and serves its members as a professional association all without public funding. As a regulatory agency, the WSBA administers the bar admission process, including the bar exam; provides record-keeping and licensing functions; and administers the lawyer-discipline system. As a professional association, the WSBA provides continuing legal education for attorneys, in addition to numerous other educational and member-service activities.
The governance of the WSBA is vested in its Board of Governors. There are three governors from the seventh congressional district; one from each of the other eight districts; and three at-large members, one of whom represents the Young Lawyers Division. The 2006-2007 president is Ellen Conedera Dial, of Seattle. The 2006-2007 president-elect is Stanley A. Bastian, of Wenatchee, and the immediate past-president is S. Brooke Taylor, of Port Angeles. The Board meets regularly (every six weeks) at various locations around the state, and its meetings are open to the public. Much of the work of the Bar is carried out through 23 standing committees; 26 sections; and a Young Lawyers Division, with its many committees.
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