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Community Corner

Volunteer Lawyers for Justice to Hold Free Legal Aid Clinic in Atlantic City for N.J. Victims of Superstorm Sandy

On Friday, October 18, Volunteer Lawyers for Justice

(VLJ) will hold a free legal aid clinic in Atlantic City for New Jersey

residents dealing with legal issues directly related to Superstorm

Sandy. It will take place from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the St. Andrew by

the Sea Lutheran Church at 936 Baltic Avenue in Atlantic City. A part of

VLJ's Disaster Legal Response Program (DLRP), this clinic is made possible through VLJ's collaboration with Duane Morris LLP.

Anyone

interested in attending the Oct. 18 clinic can call VLJ's DLRP hotline -

(855) 301-2525 - to schedule an appointment. Walk-ins are also welcome.

VLJ is also holding free legal aid clinics in Monmouth, Ocean, Hudson

and Bergen counties. For a full list of upcoming clinics, visit http://www.vljnj.org/.

At

the clinics, VLJ and its volunteer attorneys provide counsel, advice

and limited scope assistance to participants. Topics include insurance,

housing or landlord/tenant issues, contractor disputes, and FEMA

appeals. In addition to the attorneys of Duane Morris LLP, volunteers at

the clinics have included attorneys from McCarter & English LLP,

Patton Boggs LLP, UBS, Citi, Gibbons PC, Jackson Lewis LLP and Morgan

Lewis. Clinic participants should bring all relevant documents, such as

correspondence with FEMA, insurance policies and correspondence with

insurers, mortgages and recent mortgage statements, and leases and

correspondence with landlords.

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All victims of the storm with legal

issues in New Jersey, regardless of their income and assets, are

eligible to meet with a volunteer attorney at the legal clinic for

advice and/or brief service. Clinic participants needing extended

representation are screened for financial eligibility. Generally, a

family of four must have an annual income that is less than $71,000, and

applicants will also be asked questions about the value of their

assets. VLJ will attempt to locate a volunteer attorney to take on full

representation of the client's legal issue.

Victims can also call

VLJ's statewide toll-free disaster hotline, which is staffed by

volunteer attorneys, VLJ staff and law students. Intake staff is

available to answer calls on Monday-Friday between 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and

will screen cases for potential placement with volunteer lawyers.

Callers may also leave a message on the hotline after hours and receive a

prompt call-back from a VLJ volunteer or staff member to address their

issues.

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VLJ is a state-wide 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation

based in Newark. VLJ provides comprehensive legal services to

economically disadvantaged adults, children, and families in New Jersey

to ensure fair and equal treatment within the legal system. Programs

include free legal counsel and advice, educational seminars on various

legal matters, and direct representation for at-risk individuals facing

critical civil legal issues.


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