By now, we all have seen the destruction Hurricane Harvey wrought in Houston. Homes underwater, thousands of people rescued and tens of thousands displaced.
But amid the devastation, stories of neighbors helping neighbors emerged to give hope in an otherwise heartbreaking situation.
As the residents of southeast Texas begin to put their lives together again, they will continue to need help. They will need critical resources like food, shelter and clothing; but they also will need legal assistance. Insurance claims will have to be filed, lost vital documents replaced and mortgage or rental disputes resolved.
As Floridians, we unfortunately know this from experience. Even now, before we catch our breath from Harvey, we could find ourselves needing that same assistance.
By the time this article was submitted, Hurricane Irma had been upgraded to a Category 5 storm. It was bearing down on the Caribbean and was considered a dangerous threat to the U.S. Thus, it is entirely possible that by the time you are reading this, it could be from your evacuation destination, if you have one.
Some local residents still have not resolved disputes from Hurricane Matthew and continue to need legal assistance. With that recent event in mind, and given the (largely unexpected) destruction in Houston, The Jacksonville Bar Association asks the members of our legal community to be mindful of ways in which we can help those impacted by these storms. In Houston, there are several charities accepting contributions to help hurricane victims, including the American Red Cross, Catholic Charities, the United Way of Greater Houston and several others. Remember that it is a good idea to do a bit of research on any charity before you donate.
Lawyers can do more than contribute money or other resources, though. We can help hurricane victims put their lives back together and make sense of insurance and court systems that are difficult to navigate even in good times.
The Texas Supreme Court issued an order permitting attorneys licensed in other states to provide legal services to victims of Hurricane Harvey under the auspices of a legal aid program serving those victims. Any attorney in good standing in Florida (or any jurisdiction where the attorney resides) is eligible to provide pro bono disaster related legal services.
To make that task easier, lawyers in Texas are putting together a CLE, a manual, and other resources to support pro bono attorneys in their work. Registration for temporary practice in Texas is required, however, so make sure you follow the procedures established by the Texas Supreme Court.
More information on this program is available from The Florida Bar (flabar.org), the State Bar of Texas (texasbar.com) and the American Bar Association (americanbar.org).
For Hurricane Irma, it is likely that some in our state will need our help. That help will be short-term (e.g., filing insurance claims, resolving landlord-tenant disputes, small business disaster loan applications and replacing vital documents) and long-term (e.g., potential mortgage foreclosures of uninhabited homes, FEMA assistance and lawsuits relating to real estate and insurance disputes).
If you are in a position to offer assistance on these issues, or to help colleagues whose firms are disrupted by the weather, please consider doing so.
If you want to help but do not know where to turn, please contact Jacksonville Area Legal Aid in Duval, Clay and St. Johns counties, which will be ready to assist low-income hurricane victims with their legal needs.
Lawyers have long been a force for good in this community, and we know about the volunteer hours offered, the community service performed, the clients represented without charge. We need to continue that service to our community, to our friends in Texas and to each other as we navigate yet another natural disaster.
Katie Dearing is the owner of The Dearing Law Firm, which represents clients in commercial litigation, business torts, real property disputes and appellate matters.