In light of the widespread devastation caused by the wildfires in Northern California, the Legal Aid Association of California, along with advocates from the State Bar of California, and a number of local legal aid and nonprofit organizations, have teamed up to organize this collection of brief trainings for volunteer attorneys that are looking to provide aid to victims of the North Bay fires.
These recordings are intended to provide legal information, not legal advice for the purposes of training practicing attorneys. The legal information in this webinar is not intended to be a substitute for seeking personalized legal advice from an attorney licensed to practice in your jurisdiction. Further, we do not intend to create an attorney-client relationship with any listener.
Public Benefits in the Aftermath of a Disaster: A Toolkit for Advocacy
This training covers the different types of government benefit programs that may be available to individuals in a disaster, including CalFresh (SNAP), CalWORKs (TANF), Supplemental Security Income (SSI), and Medi-Cal (Medicaid). It will discuss specific legal rights or program rules that might be helpful to disaster victims needing aid, as well as advocacy tips for handling common barriers and advocating for clients. Find referenced materials here. [Recorded on 10/18/17]
Presenter:
Lisa Newstrom, Bay Area Legal Aid
Addressing A Disaster: Tips for Homeowners
Learn how to approach managing disaster as a homeowner, whether that disaster has happened already, or you are preparing for disaster. [Recorded on 10/18/17]
Presenter:
Maeve Elise Brown, Housing and Economic Rights Advocates
Basic Landlord-Tenant Rights in Disaster
This section will cover laws governing the rights of landlords and tenants in disasters that damage or destroy rental units. It will cover both subsidized housing and market rate housing. It does not cover rent controlled jurisdictions. [Recorded on 10/13/17]
Presenter:
Carolyn Gold, Justice & Diversity Center
Mobilehome Park Residents: Tips for Issue-Spotting When Assisting Residents of Mobilehome Parks
This brief overview of State and local laws related to the rights of mobilehome park residents in Northern California will help legal advisors identify potential legal issues for fire victims. Get the PowerPoint here. [Recorded on 10/16/17]
Presenter:
Shirley Gibson, Legal Aid of San Mateo County
Home Insurance and Disaster Recovery 101
A basic primer on guiding clients in California. [Recorded on 10/19/17]
Presenter:
Amy Bach, United Policyholders
Post-Disaster Employment Law Issues
This training will discuss what workers may face after a natural disaster impacts their work and life. It will discuss information on unemployment insurance eligibility, workplace safety concerns, leaves of absence, and more. [Recorded on 10/17/17]
Presenter:
Maria Tapia-Hernandez, Legal Aid at Work
Consumer Law Issues After a Disaster
This short training provides basic information about protecting the rights of consumers affected by disaster. Provided by Bay Area Legal Aid consumer law attorney Claire Johnson Raba, the training covers price gouging, disaster relief scams, credit reporting, and debt collection basics and is intended for volunteer attorneys and advocates.
Presenter:
Claire Johnson Raba, Bay Area Legal Aid
Working with Trauma Survivors
As a lawyer working with people who have suffered trauma, non legal skills are as important as legal abilities. When your client is recovering or still experiencing trauma, your representation will benefit from tools like client focused representation, empathetic interviewing skills, and cultural humility while working with survivors of trauma.
Presenter:
Protima Pandey, Bay Area Legal Aid
FEMA Benefits and Appeals
Access Practising Law Institute’s (PLI) on-demand seminar on disaster assistance here. The piece of this training that is relevant to the wildfires begin at 31:45. [Recorded on 9/7/17]