Free legal clinic for Lee County seniors to focus on hurricane hurdles

FORT MYERS, Fla. - Oct. 30, 2024 - PRLog -- As parts of Southwest Florida continue to reel from the back-to-back blows of recent Hurricanes Helene and Milton, a local legal nonprofit is again hosting a free clinic for area seniors in need of limited legal advice on civil matters.

Law at the Library is a quarterly conversation sponsored by the Lee County Legal Aid Society with support from the AARP Foundation.

The next session is scheduled for Wednesday, Nov. 13, from 9 a.m. to noon, at the Fort Myers Regional Library meeting room, 1651 Lee St., Fort Myers, and is open to Lee County residents ages 50 and older.

The event will begin with light refreshments, followed by a panel presentation by local attorneys on topics in civil law of interest to seniors, with an emphasis on post-hurricane legal issues, including contractor fraud and insurance claims.

The panel's 30-minute presentation will be followed by an audience question-and-answer session and then 20-minute individual appointments with volunteer attorneys on any legal issue, excluding criminal cases, beginning at 10 a.m.

Advance registration is required. Participants should email Nanci@leecountylegalaid.org or call 239-334-6118 and provide contact information, a brief description of the legal advice being sought, and any relevant documents. Participants should also bring those documents to the meeting.

"More than two years after Hurricane Ian, many members of our community continue to struggle with unresolved legal issues from that devastating storm," said Andrew Banyai, Lee County Legal Aid Society executive director. "The recent arrivals of two more hurricanes, just weeks apart, has only further disrupted the lives of too many of our friends, families, neighbors, co-workers and loved ones – and the potential legal complications can be even more disruptive."

Unlike in criminal law, there is no constitutional right to counsel in civil law, which includes landlord-tenant disputes, foreclosures, evictions, probate, debt collection, child custody cases, domestic violence orders of protection and more.

Law at the Library follows a similar series of free legal workshops "Just for Seniors" offered by Lee County Legal Aid Society in prior years through support from The Community Foundation.

For more information on Lee County Legal Aid Society, visit leecountylegalaid.org (https://link.mediaoutreach.meltwater.com/ls/click?upn=u00...) or call 239-334-6118.