A coalition of private and public legal organizations have created a hotline in an effort to provide legal aid to fire victims across the state, including Lake County.
The hotline number is 415-575-3120. Callers can also leave a message. Spanish and Chinese language attorneys will be on the hotline, too.
Anybody in Lake County who was affected is encouraged to call. There are all sorts of aid available. Depending on the case, some questions can be dealt with through the phone.
The attorneys on the hotline will be able to guide victims through a variety of legal issues with a focus on the following:
-Landlord-tenant legal issues
-Life, medical and property insurance issues
-Emergency aid applications (FEMA)
-Home repair contracts
-Mortgage foreclosure issues
-Replacement of wills and other important legal documents
Additional legal resources related to disasters can be found on the State Bar’s website.
In addition to the State Bar-run hotline, there are two others for Napa and Sonoma counties. The Bay Area Legal Aid’s Legal Advice Hotline, 1-800-551-5554, is the number of Napa County residents. Additionally, The Healthcare Consumer Center’s line, 1-855-693-7285, has been set up to aid Sonoma and Napa county residents with medical insurance coverage issues, prescription coverage issues and for those who have relocated out of state.
For those located outside Napa and Sonoma counties, they can call the general hotline number.
The groups involved in the hotline’s creation include: Bay Area Resilience Collaborative or BARC (Bar Association of San Francisco, SF-Marin Lawyer Referral and Information Service and the Justice & Diversity Center; Alameda County Bar Association and the Volunteer Legal Services Corporation; State Bar of California, Bay Area Legal Aid; and Pro Bono Net), the American Bar Association Young Lawyers Division (ABA YLD), the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Legal Aid Association of California (LAAC).
