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Free Legal Help for Sandy Victims
The New York Legal Assistance Group, which provides free civil legal services to low-income individuals throughout Long Island, has launched a new program to assist those hurt by Superstorm Sandy.
“We’ve identified 25 sites within Nassau and Suffolk counties at which individuals affected by the storm can receive free legal consultation and representation,” said Yisroel Schulman, the group’s president.
Legal services include help with landlord-tenant issues regarding the habitability of apartments and denials of private insurance claims, as well as with advice about loan modifications and foreclosure due to damage by or loss of income from the storm.
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Lawyers will also assist individuals or non-profit organizations with applying for FEMA assistance, which has a January 28 deadline, Schulman said.
To set up a free meeting with a lawyer, call NYLAG at 212-584-3365 or e-mail stormhelp@nylag.org.
The program, which launched about two weeks ago, also includes a mobile legal help center that will be used two days each week in such locations as Bethpage, Wantagh and Lindenhurst.
“We park it in a strategic area, and people come into the van and there are three law offices,” Schulman said. “We can do live video conferencing with a judge to obtain emergency orders.”
The legal group’s storm response initiative was funded by The Robin Hood Foundation and UJA-Federation of New York with an initial funding amount of $2 million, Schulman said.
The funding allowed NYLAG to hire more than 20 full-time attorneys with expertise in relevant legal matters, as well as bilingual paralegals for the storm response unit.
Photo credit: Jeremy Bales | Neighbors Joe Valentino, left and Chaim Lazarus survey the damage to New Hampshire St. Residents of Long Beach work to recover during the aftermath of Sandy. (November 4, 2012)
