AUSTIN — The State Bar of Texas offers a legal hotline — (800) 504-7030 — to help people find answers to basic legal questions and connect them with local legal aid providers following disasters such as the Sabine River flooding in southeast Texas.

The hotline — answered in English and Spanish — is designed to connect low-income people with legal aid providers in their area who can help with such issues as replacing lost documents, insurance questions, landlord-tenant problems, and consumer protection issues such as price-gouging and avoiding contractor scams during the rebuilding process.

Callers can leave a message at any time. People who qualify for assistance will be matched with Texas lawyers who have volunteered to provide free, limited legal help.

Additional resources are available at texasbar.com/disasters and texaslawhelp.org.

The State Bar of Texas reminds the public that solicitation of a potential legal case is a crime unless the lawyer has a family relationship with you or you have been a client of the lawyer in the past or are currently a client. Solicitation of you is also a crime if perpetrated by a non-lawyer employee or representative of the lawyer, unless the previous conditions exist. Please report any prohibited contacts by lawyers or their representatives, whether in person, telephone, or otherwise, to your local law enforcement authority or the State Bar of Texas at (877) 953-5535.