FROM KENNETH G. PETRULIS, PRESIDENT

The Beverly Hills Bar Association wishes to express its heartfelt concern and common solidarity with all those affected by Hurricane Katrina and its devastating aftermath.

The Beverly Hills Bar Association and its members are responding to help the people and organizations that have been affected by this disaster. The BHBA is working with the American Bar Association to coordinate its efforts to assist law students who have been displaced, lawyers have lost their practices, and so many others who have suffered and continue to suffer unimaginable pain and disruption in their lives. In the days to come, we will be announcing further opportunities for our members and actions by our bar association to assist the victims on the Gulf Coast of our country.

The Beverly Hills Bar Association is soliciting volunteers to assist
disaster victims of Hurricane Katrina.

Rather than initiate our own assistance programs, we are coordinating our efforts through existing organizations and programs.  First, we will be working with the American Bar Association's Young Lawyers Division, which has a contract with FEMA to provide such services.  Second, we will be working with LA Pro Bono Council, which is coordinating a local response by mobilizing legal services agencies and private firms to provide legal assistance to evacuees living in or coming to the Los Angeles area.

 
So that we can present a united effort from members of the Beverly Hills Bar Association, we ask that you contact Thomas H. Vidal at thomas.vidal@sdma.com if you are interested in volunteering.  The remainder of this e-mail explains the ABA's situation and the volunteer opportunities that are available.
 
Please understand that we have a substantial need for volunteers to take pro bono cases.  Please review the information to learn about how you can volunteer for the YLD-FEMA and LAPBC programs.
 
The YLD in 1992 entered into a written contract with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), pursuant to which the YLD agreed to mobilize young lawyers to organize the provision of free civil legal services to low-income disaster victims. The YLD responds only when FEMA specifically asks the YLD to get involved; for some federal disasters, FEMA decides that such services are not needed. The primary assistance that the YLD provides is to arrange for the establishment of a FEMA disaster legal services hotline that disaster victims can call. The YLD District Representatives, with the assistance of the YLD Disaster Legal Services Coordinator and Vice-Coordinator and, in some states, local disaster legal services committees organized by state and local bars, also help recruit lawyers to answer the hotline calls and to accept referrals for brief service that result from the hotline calls. Although young lawyers organize the provision of legal services, volunteers can be lawyers of any age and experience level.
 
Consistent with this contract, the YLD mobilizes for disasters every year. For example, the YLD led long-term responses to the September 11, 2001, attacks and to the four hurricanes that struck Florida in 2004.  The YLD has also been called upon to respond to flooding and other disasters throughout the United States.
 
In response to Hurricane Katrina, FEMA has asked the YLD to provide disaster legal services to residents in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama.  The YLD, through its Disaster Legal Services Coordinator Rani Mathura, Assistant Coordinator Craig Cannon, District Representatives in affected states, and state/local disaster legal services committees are currently organizing the FEMA disaster legal services response effort.  With respect to Louisiana, this response includes having Texas young lawyers do intake with Louisiana victims at FEMA's Disaster Recovery Centers in Texas.
 
The larger ABA is also responding to Katrina.  A Katrina task force has been established and is coordinating efforts among ABA entities. Information on the task force and other ABA programs can be found at www.abanet.org/katrina.
 
VOLUNTEERING WITH THE YLD-FEMA DISASTER LEGAL SERVICES PROGRAM
 
What?  Answer hotline calls (requires presence in affected state) and/or accept pre-screened cases that arise from the hotline calls (can be done long distance).
 
Who?  Consistent with the YLD's contract with FEMA, attorneys licensed in Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi can answer FEMA disaster legal services hotline calls and accept individual cases that arise from those calls. 
 
Please note that the Supreme Court of Mississippi on September 9, 2005, issued an order that allows attorneys licensed in other states to participate in the disaster legal services program offered by FEMA and run locally by the Mississippi Young Lawyers Division. Participation under this Supreme Court Rule requires the filing of an affidavit.  If you would like specific information about volunteering to help victims from Mississippi under that state's new Supreme Court Rule, visit www.msbar.org/index.php and follow the link that provides additional information about the Order and instructions for filing the necessary affidavit.
 
How?  For most disasters, the local young lawyers recruit and maintain their own lists of volunteers.  However, given the scope of this disaster, the YLD's national office, in conjunction with the larger ABA, is helping to create volunteer lists that are used locally.
 
VOLUNTEERING WITH THE LA PRO BONO COUNSEL PROGRAM PROGRAM
 
The LA Pro Bono Council is immediately seeking volunteers from law firms and law schools who are willing to serve in the following roles: (1) lawyers, paralegals and law students who will go to sites with evacuees to conduct intake interviews, aid in filling out relevant forms, and offer limited general advice; and (2) lawyers who will address longer term legal needs by representing evacuees in matters requiring more than on-the-spot assistance.
 
It is critical that they get volunteers in both categories and LAPBC members will provide mandatory training to those who agree to participate in this effort. Training for category (1) volunteers will include intake procedures, data handling and basic legal information on disaster relief, public benefits, and other simple legal matters. For category (2) volunteers, LAPBC anticipates that the legal needs of these clients will be varied, including: disaster relief/FEMA assistance; public benefits; insurance; estate planning; unemployment; disability/SSI; workers comp; consumer fraud; and housing. LAPBC and its pro bono legal services provider members will provide substantive training in each of these areas.
 
LAPBC plans to conduct trainings for category (1) volunteers as soon as possible - certainly within the next two weeks - They are asking for responses as soon as possible, and would really appreciate a response TODAY.
 
If you are interested in assisting with the LAPBC program, please provide your name, phone number, e-mail address, experience level (e.g. partner, fifth year associate, paralegal), and the volunteer categories--(1), (2) or both--for which you have an interest in serving.  Send your information by e-mail to thomas.vidal@sdma.com.
 
PROVIDING OTHER ASSISTANCE
 
For information on responses organized by the ABA and other organizations, please visit www.abanet.org/katrina.  The site also has a volunteer form for providing assistance to fellow attorneys, such as by donating office space.
 
Once again, should you wish to participate, please send an e-mail message to thomas.vidal@sdma.com.  The Beverly Hills Bar Association looks forward to helping our brothers and sisters who have been impacted by this disaster.  We will continue to keep the victims of Katrina on our hearts and in our prayers.
 
 
Thomas H. Vidal
Attorney at Law