State Bar of Wisconsin

Resources for lawyers providing legal service to evacuees

• Statement from State Bar President
• Help for lawyers displaced by Katrina
• How Wisconsin lawyers can help

It is not known how many evacuees will choose to relocate to Wisconsin and the need for legal assistance that they will present. Following are some specific resources that will be helpful for lawyers who wish to provide free legal services:

• On Oct. 7, State Bar CLE Seminars is offering the Disaster Planning for the Wisconsin Attorney: Establishng Responses to Natural and Man-Made Disasters and Public Health Emergencies video seminar at statewide locations from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
  
  
• FEMA would like Hurricane Katrina evacuees (even those who have made it to Wisconsin) to first call the disaster legal help line that has been set up for their home state. These telephone numbers are staffed by attorneys licensed in the affected states pursuant to a contract between the ABA Young Lawyers Division and FEMA. The ABA Young Lawyers Division/FEMA toll-free legal hotlines for evacuees are:
  • Alabama (800) 354-6154
  • Louisiana (800) 310-7029
  • Mississippi (866) 255-4495
    
    
• The Sargeant Shriver National Center on Poverty Law has assembled a number of resources to assist lawyers in advising clients who are seeking refuge or relief following Hurricane Katrina.
  
  
• The State Bar of Wisconsin is working with the state's Emergency Operations Center, local bar associations, and various legal assistance programs to organize free legal services to displaced persons who relocate to Wisconsin. The Young Lawyers Division is working with the ABA and FEMA to provide legal assistance to those in affected states through hotlines. Wisconsin lawyers interested in providing pro bono services should contact Jeff Brown, State Bar pro bono coordinator, at (800) 444-9404, ext 6177.
  
  
• The Wisconsin Emergency Management Katrina Web site contains Wisconsin-specific updates on the situation with evacuees and resources available to help them.