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.

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.

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.