Disaster Resources

• Law office recovery for State Bar members
  • Wisconsin Lawyers Flood Assistance Bulletin Board
  • Join disaster legal response email list
• General disaster assistance information
• Legal assistance for the public

Law office recovery for State Bar members

• Is your office affected by the recent floods?: Tips for lawyers whose offices have been affected by the floods.
• Practice411: Practice law more efficiently and effectively with the array of law practice management resources provided by your State Bar through the Law Office Management Assistance Program
• For additional information about risk management and disaster recovery, read the following Wisconsin Lawyer articles:
  • Practice Tips: Planning for Disaster and Recovery is NOT Optional: Planning what to do in the event of a natural or human disaster is imperative to protect your staff, clients, work product, and physical office and equipment. Here are some steps to take before an unexpected disaster hits.
  • Preparing a Disaster Recovery Plan: There's no better time than now to plan how your law practice will recover should the unthinkable happen.
  • Act Quickly to Recover Damaged Records: Learn how to protect, recover, and restore vital records in this second of a series of columns about records management and disaster recovery.
  • When Disaster Strikes...: In the wake of the Stoughton area tornado and hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the Wisconsin Lawyer asked State Bar members about their experiences with some of the myriad issues surrounding disasters, including preparing for and recovering from disaster, aiding hurricane evacuees, and helping lawyers reestablish their prctices in hard-hit areas.
  • How Would I Recover If My Office Was Destroyed?: I worry about keeping my practice going if disaster strikes and my files are destroyed. The "what ifs" are making me lose sleep - what if there's a fire, what if there's a burst water pipe, what if there's a tornado or a flood. What can I do now to protect my practice?
  • Was your law practice interrupted by flood issues?: The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) Office of Disaster Assistance offers long-term low-interest loans to businesses, homeowners, renters, and nonprofit organizations that were affected by the recent flooding in Wisconsin.

General disaster assistance information

• 2008 Flood Information for the Public: Information from Wisconsin Emergency Management.
• FEMA: Information regarding disaster declarations, individual benefits available and the National Flood Insurance Program.
• Wisconsin Emergency Management: News, preparedness information and disaster relief information specific to Wisconsin
• WI Dept. of Health & Family Services: Provides information on emergency food assistance for displaced families.
• WI Dept. of Transportation:  Information about replacing a driver's license, vehicle registration, license plate, sticker or title.
• USA.gov:  Find links to information on how to replace other vital documents such as Social Security cards, Medicare cards, immigration papers, savings bonds and passports. 
• Office of the Commissioner of Insurance: In addition to information on insurance claims, complaints, and companies, OCI also provides a National Flood Insurance Program FAQ and information about claims under that program.
• American Red Cross: National disaster assistance information and links to Wisconsin chapters.
• UW Cooperative Extension Flood Advice: With the heavy and widespread rains that have hit the state recently, Cooperative Extension faculty and staff provide information on resources to deal with flooding, damage to crops and general disaster assistance.

Legal assistance for the public

• Disaster Legal Services Hotline: (877) WISLAW1 or (877) 947-5291
• Lawyer Referral and Information Service: Through this State Bar of Wisconsin public service, a trained legal assistant experienced in analyzing potential legal problems will help you locate the best source of help to resolve your legal problem.
• Farmers' Legal Action Group, Inc. This page includes disaster assistance information available from FLAG (a nonprofit law center dedicated to providing legal services to family farmers) and other organizations.
• Centro Legal por Derechos Humanos: Provides bilingual, low cost legal aid to low income residents in the Milwaukee area for family law and misdemeanor criminal matters.
• Community Justice Incorporated: Provides low cost legal assistance to low income Dane County-area residents using a sliding scale fee structure for family, landlord/tenant, and other civil legal problems.
• Legal Action of Wisconsin: Serving indigent clients with civil legal problems in the southern 39 counties in Wisconsin using both staff attorneys and a volunteer lawyers project. Offices in Milwaukee (main), Madison, La Crosse, Green Bay, Oshkosh and Racine.
• Legal Aid Society of Door County: (920) 743-3934
  Legal Aid Society of Door County
  131 S. 3rd Avenue
  Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235
• Legal Aid Society of Milwaukee: Founded in 1916, LASM is one of the oldest continuously operating public interest law firms in the nation. They provide free civil legal aid to indigent clients in the Milwaukee area.
• Neighborhood Law Project: From an office on the South Side of Madison, law students from the U.W. Law School Remington Center, supervised by faculty, provide free legal aid to low-income clients, community legal education, and other services principally in the areas of housing, workers' rights, and consumer credit.
• Portage County Legal Aid Society: (715) 343-7100
  CAP Services
  1608 W. River Drive
  Stevens Point, WI 54481
• Wisconsin Judicare, Inc.: Serving indigent clients in northern Wisconsin from its office in Wausau, Judicare provides civil legal aid to eligible clients through private attorneys who handle cases for low-income people at reduced hourly rates. Judicare additionally provides legal assistance to the 11 federally recognized Wisconsin Indian nations and to eligible American Indian clients through its Indian Law Office. Wisconsin Judicare invites attorneys and tribal court lay advocates to participate in the Judicare program. Judicare's website includes links to Internet legal resources.