Front: Laura Alter, Jewish Family Service employment services manager; ABA President Hilarie Bass; Alissa Gomez, Houston Volunteer Lawyers Program executive director; and Ray Panneton, ABA YLD representative. Back: State Bar of Texas President Tom Vick; Houston Bar Association President Alistair Dawson; and Michael Hofrichter, director of operations for the Houston Volunteer Lawyers Program.
American Bar Association President Hilarie Bass met with State Bar of Texas President Tom Vick and Houston Bar Association President Alistair Dawson, among other local leaders, as they visited a volunteer-run legal clinic and disaster relief training seminar on Monday.
Bass’ trip to Houston promoted free services offered by legal aid agencies, local bars and volunteer lawyer organizations around the state.
The group, which included ABA Young Lawyers Division member Ray Panneton and Michael Hofrichter, director of operations for the Houston Volunteer Lawyers Program, attended a Houston Volunteer Lawyers’ Clinic at Temple Sinai and a disaster relief training seminar for law students hosted by Lone Star Legal Aid at the University of Houston Law Center.
People affected by Hurricane Harvey can access free legal services by calling the State Bar of Texas legal hotline at (800) 504-7030. The toll-free hotline — answered in English, Spanish, and Vietnamese — connects callers with local legal aid providers who can help them with federal disaster applications and common legal problems like replacing lost documents, tenant-landlord disputes, and consumer protection matters.
Assistance is also available at TexasLegalAnswers.org, which operates as a free, online legal clinic where people can post questions and receive answers from volunteer attorneys.