Parts of Florida were recently hit hard by Hurricane Debby. While the storm was not as deadly or damaging as it could have been, there is no doubt that residents will be recovering for the foreseeable future.
It is frequently following a disaster that programs like ours see the amazing heart of the legal community. Attorneys, law students, and paralegals reach out en masse to offer pro bono support to those affected by the disaster.
Through insurance claims and FEMA claims, housing repairs, loss of property and jobs, and other impacts, our clients will face a host of challenges in the upcoming weeks and months.
If you would be interested in learning more about FEMA appeals and/or are interested in volunteering with insurance claim denials, let me know and I will get you on a list of volunteers.
We can only guess when the cases will start coming in, but we hope to have volunteers on standby and ready.
If this is not up your alley, consider volunteering with Three Rivers in another way:
Telephonic Housing Clinic is offered 5-6 p.m. every Tuesday. Advice-only appointments are scheduled for 45 minutes. TRLS staff screen and schedule clients, notifying volunteers of their assignments on the Friday (or Monday) prior to the clinic.
Issues involve private landlord/tenant issues such as eviction, repairs and security deposits. Volunteers complete an online form during the call so that TRLS knows what advice was given and if any follow-up by TRLS is needed.
Pro Se Divorce Clinics are offered every three months in Jacksonville and involve a session at 9 a.m. and another at 2 p.m. Volunteers are asked to attend one of the sessions to help pro se filers complete the financial affidavit (short form), petition, and the UCCJEA, and by answering questions about the pro se divorce process.
The next clinic in Jacksonville is scheduled Nov. 19 and the next clinic in Fernandina Beach is Nov. 21.
Through our Advice and Counsel/Brief Services, attorneys can provide limited scope assistance to individuals.
We are in constant need of volunteers to work with clients, one-on-one, to complete pro se divorce packets.
We also generally have folks in need of advance directives - drafting last wills and testament, health care surrogates, powers of attorney, living wills, and pre-need guardianships. These cases can be handled remotely with documents notarized/witnessed at the TRLS office, by appointment.
Finally, you can take on a client matter for full representation in a variety of areas including bankruptcy, special education, family, housing/property, consumer, income maintenance, and trusts and estates.
We are in particular need of attorneys to assist with probate cases, guardianship and guardian advocacy, and landlord/tenant.
There are several benefits to completing your service with Three Rivers Legal Services.
First, we screen all clients for eligibility and legal issues. If the client tries to have you do anything beyond the scope of the referral, you can just refer them back to us.
Second, we gather documents and information to get you started. We can also assist you through the process.
Three Rivers can also partner you with a law student, who can help with research, drafting documents and conducting client interviews.
Third, we provide support by way of answering questions, reviewing documents, sharing resources and training materials, and mentorship by our experienced attorneys.
We also provide all volunteers with legal malpractice coverage at no charge to you.
Finally, we track your hours, recognize you in publications and can even nominate you for local, state, and national pro bono awards.
If you have any questions, or would like to participate in any of the above, contact us at [email protected].