Nine Pennsylvania counties were declared federal disaster areas as a result of heavy rain and flooding that began on April 2, 2005. Hundreds of Pennsylvanians are sifting through paperwork to put their lives and families back together.

The PBA/YLD is asking lawyers to volunteer their time to assist these disaster victims with legal issues. The YLD is working in conjunction with the ABA/YLD, FEMA and local bar associations to find volunteers who can assist with real estate/property issues, landlord-tenant law, filing insurance claims, home repair contracts, consumer protection matters, mortgage foreclosures, replacement of wills, powers of attorney, contract and fraud. These services are pro bono and all requests will involve non-fee generating cases.

Volunteer attorneys will receive a facsimile or e-mail detailing a particular legal services request, and attorneys will contact that individual by telephone. Efforts will be made to match volunteers with requests based upon their areas of practice. There should be a minimum time commitment. If you are able to help fellow Pennsylvanians devastated by the recent disaster, please contact PBA/YLD Coordinator Jayanne Hayward at yld@pabar.org.

Also please indicate fluency in Spanish or other languages.