Disaster Legal Services (DLS):                      Volunteer Attorney Sign-Up Form
Thank you for your interest in volunteering to provide legal assistance to North Carolinians impacted by natural disaster. FEMA has issued a disaster declaration that allows for assistance to be provided to Tropical Storm Fred affected residents in Buncombe, Haywood and Transylvania counties.

The North Carolina Bar Association's Young Lawyers Division coordinates the North Carolina Disaster Legal Services (DLS) effort in partnership with the Young Lawyers Division of the American Bar Association, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and Legal Aid of North Carolina (LANC). The DLS pro bono program provides disaster-related resources and services to the public and attorneys with the support of the North Carolina Bar Foundation.

Volunteer Expectations

Every DLS pro bono attorney volunteer will assist clients with filing FEMA claims, as well as other legal needs as indicated by volunteer preference below. Volunteers are asked to help clients with basic services such as filling out forms, writing letters, and placing phone calls.

Volunteers agree to provide:
  ·   Basic counseling, advice and limited-scope representation;
  ·   Extended representation; and/or
  ·   Clinic-based brief advice and counseling (dates, times and places TBD).

Malpractice insurance coverage is provided to North Carolina attorneys who volunteer through the DLS program. For more information, please email dls@ncbar.org.

Clients with cases that require more significant representation should be directed to the NCBA Lawyer Referral Service at 1.800.662.7660, M-F 8am-5pm (Spanish-speaking operators are available).

If you are interested in helping in response to Tropical Storm Fred, but you are not able to take DLS case referrals, please see "Additional Opportunities" below.


Volunteer Timeline

A Legal Aid of NC staff member will pair you with a DLS Hotline client referral after callers are processed through an intake. Please note that you may not receive a referral immediately after signing up to serve as a volunteer -- please be patient, and stay engaged with us. We expect that NC residents affected by this disaster will have legal assistance needs for up to a year, or more, post-event.

 -  In the first few weeks after a storm passes, the legal needs of those affected will concern initial FEMA and insurance claims, government benefits, school enrollment for displaced families, landlord/tenant and real property issues, document replacement and income protection matters.

-  Two to six months out from the event, those affected by the hurricane will require assistance with FEMA/SBA appeals and recoupments, housing displacement, repair and contractor scams, and powers of attorney.

-  In the longer term (6+ months post-event), affected residents may need legal advice and assistance regarding foreclosure, insurance disputes, bankruptcy and disaster relief tax applications.


Volunteer Training/Resource Materials

Training and informational resource materials are available to support pro bono volunteer attorney work at https://ncprobono.org/disastermanual/. Additional training resources and opportunities will be shared with volunteers as they are developed.


Additional Opportunities

If you are interested in providing immediate, brief pro bono legal assistance to disaster survivors, please sign up to volunteer with the NC Free Legal Answers pro bono project, through which volunteer attorneys provide answers to questions posed by members of the public through an online portal, in a Q&A format. Register at nc.freelegalanswers.org.

Please consider a donation in support of Disaster Legal Services: www.ncbarfoundation.org/donate.
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Volunteer Contact Information
First name *
Last Name *
Pronouns
Organization *
firm, org., company, law school alumni org., self, other
Email Address *
Phone Number *
County *
Mailing Address, City, State, Zip *
Volunteer Type *
State Bar Number (paralegals and law students enter N/A) *
Regular Area(s) of Practice *
Types of Matters Willing to Advise *
All attorneys are asked to assist clients with FEMA claims: no specialized legal knowledge is required to provide this type of assistance. Please select all additional practice areas in which you are willing to provide counseling. Training and informational materials are available to support volunteer attorney work at https://ncprobono.org/disastermanual.
Required
Are you willing to serve as a subject matter expert in one of the following areas *
note: do not need to be state bar certified specialist.
Required
Are you willing to take on extended representation of a client whose matter may be more complex than can be handled by limited representation? *
Are you interested in volunteering your legal services at an in person clinic, such as at a Disaster Recovery Center or FEMA Appeal Clinic in the affected Western NC counties? *
Additional Languages Spoken
Are there any accommodations that would make participation in this pro bono effort more accessible to you?
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