Legal Aid NSW is ready to provide free legal advice to the State’s flood victims as they recover from the devastating impacts of high rainfall earlier this month.
Chief Executive of Legal Aid NSW, Brendan Thomas said lawyers from the Disaster Response Legal Service NSW team could provide legal assistance on a range of issues, including insurance claims; tenancy; credit and debt; financial hardship; social security entitlements; and employment.
Mr Thomas said the team’s civil lawyers were specialists in areas of law that were likely to impact on victims of extreme weather events.
“All of our solicitors providing legal help have undergone training about what to expect,” Mr Thomas said.
“This is important work at a difficult and stressful time in people’s lives, so part of the training is about how best to respond to the trauma experienced by those affected by disasters,” he said.
“Having an experienced advisor to help you navigate through legal issues can significantly reduce trauma and pave the way to rebuilding lives.”
Mr Thomas said free legal advice was available to anyone effected by a disaster but a means and merit test would be applied if more intensive casework was required.
“Victims of disasters are priority clients of Legal Aid NSW,” he said.
Mr Thomas said anyone who needed legal help could call Disaster Response Legal Service NSW on 1800 801 529, or their local Legal Aid NSW office.
