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AUSTIN—Free legal resources are available to low-income individuals affected by flooding and other conditions created by Hurricane Nicholas.

The State Bar of Texas’s toll-free disaster legal services hotline—800-504-7030—puts callers in touch with legal aid providers in their areas who can help with:

• Replacement of important legal documents lost or destroyed in the disaster;
• Life, medical, and property insurance claims;
• Home repair contracts and contractors;
• Consumer protection issues such as price-gouging and avoiding contractor scams in the recovery process;
• Counseling on landlord-tenant problems; and other matters.

The hotline assists callers in English, Spanish, and Vietnamese. People who qualify for assistance will be matched with lawyers who can provide free, limited legal help.

Additional disaster recovery resources are available at texaslawhelp.org, trla.org/disaster, and texasbar.com/disaster.

The State Bar reminds the public that in many cases it is a crime in Texas for a lawyer or someone representing a lawyer to contact a person for purposes of legal representation if the person has not first requested the call or personal visit. The contact is not illegal if the attorney is not seeking payment or has a preexisting professional-client or family relationship with the person being contacted.

If you witness something you believe to be improper solicitation, or barratry, please get the name and phone number of the person making contact and report it to your local law enforcement authority or the State Bar Chief Disciplinary Counsel’s Office via email at CDCinfo@texasbar.com or toll free at 866-224-5999.