Free legal assistance, toll-free hotline available For low-income individuals affected by Hurricane Beryl
AUSTIN — Free legal resources are available to low-income individuals affected by Hurricane Beryl in 17 Texas counties included in the federal disaster declaration of July 13. They include Brazoria, Chambers, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris, Jackson, Jasper, Jefferson, Liberty, Matagorda, Montgomery, Nacogdoches, Orange, Polk, San Jacinto, Walker, and Wharton.
The State Bar of Texas provides a toll-free legal hotline (800-504-7030) that connects low-income individuals affected by the disaster with local legal aid providers who can help with:
- Assistance securing government benefits as they are made available to disaster victims;
- Assistance with life, medical, and property insurance claims;
- Help with home repair contracts and contractors;
- Replacement of wills and other important legal documents lost or destroyed in the disaster;
- Consumer protection issues, such as price-gouging and avoiding contractor scams in the rebuilding process;
- Mortgage-foreclosure problems; and
- Landlord-tenant problems.
Additional disaster recovery resources are available at texaslawhelp.org, lonestarlegal.org/services/disaster-relief/, and texasbar.com/disaster.
The State Bar of Texas reminds the public that in many cases it is a crime in Texas for a lawyer or someone representing a lawyer to contact a person for purposes of legal representation if the person has not first requested the call or personal visit. The contact is not illegal if the attorney is not seeking payment or has a preexisting professional-client or family relationship with the person being contacted.
If you witness something you believe to be improper solicitation, or barratry, please get the name and phone number of the person making contact and report it to your local law enforcement authority or the State Bar Chief Disciplinary Counsel’s Office via email at [email protected] or toll free at 866-224-5999
