Free legal help is coming Alabamians affected by deadly storms and tornadoes that hit the state in January. Legal Services Alabama says many legal needs have emerged in the impacted communities. This includes the need for insurance federal aid applications and contracting. Guy Lescault is the executive director for Legal Services Alabama. He is offering clinics in Selma and Montgomery to eligible clients through February fifteenth.
“Public assistance and our free attorney services are available to anyone making up to 125% of the federal poverty threshold,” said Lescault. “Clinics are also important for helping with hazing, insurance issues, there’s deadlines, as you may know, for food stamps.”
Selma’s clinics are held on Mondays and Wednesdays from eleven a.m. to four p.m. Montgomery’s clinics are held on Tuesdays and Thursdays from one p.m. to four p.m.
Lescault points out how some storm victims could be falling for scams.
“We have instances, shameful as it is, of contractor fraud occurring immediately and therefore we are there to help those who have been adversely impacted by the storms,” he said
Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall is also spreading the word on construction scams following this month’s tornado. He advises businesses and home owners to ask for a contractor’s license, and get to a quote in a writing as required by Alabama law. Marshall adds that storm victims should ask for references before agreeing to have work done.
