Texas Border Business
AUSTIN — The State Bar of Texas wants South Texas residents to know that free legal resources are available to low-income individuals affected by Hurricane Hanna.
A toll-free disaster legal hotline—800-504-7030—puts callers in touch with legal aid providers in their area who can help with:
- Assistance securing government benefits as they are made available;
- Assistance with life, medical, and property insurance claims;
- Help with home repair contracts and contractors;
- Replacement of wills and other important legal documents lost or destroyed in the disaster;
- Consumer protection issues such as price-gouging and avoiding contractor scams in the rebuilding process;
- Counseling on landlord-tenant problems and other matters.
People who qualify for assistance will be matched with lawyers who can provide free, limited legal help.
Additional disaster recovery resources are available at texaslawhelp.org, trla.org/disaster-resources, lonestarlegal.blog/services/disaster-relief, and texasbar.com/disaster.
The State Bar reminds the public that in many cases it is a crime in Texas for a lawyer or someone representing a lawyer to contact a person for purposes of legal representation if the person has not first requested the call or personal visit. The contact is not illegal if the attorney is not seeking payment or has a preexisting professional-client or family relationship with the person being contacted. If you witness something you believe to be an improper solicitation or barratry, please get the name and phone number of the person making contact and report it to your local law enforcement authority or the State Bar Chief Disciplinary Counsel’s Office toll-free at 866-224-5999.
