The University of Alabama School of Law Clinic Programs, in conjunction with the Alabama State Bar’s Volunteer Lawyers Program and the Tuscaloosa County Bar Association, will begin offering free legal services on Thursday, May 5, 2011, for those affected by the recent tornado.

The Disaster Relief Assistance Project will provide free legal services both on-site at local area aid centers and at the law clinic programs office at the University of Alabama School of Law. Law students and attorneys will be available on weekdays at the law school in the mornings from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon and at local response centers from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. in the afternoons. The Project will provide these services at Leland Shopping Center in Alberta City, at SOMA Church in Holt and at the Belk Activity Center at Bowers Park.

Anne Hornsby, the Associate Dean for Clinical Programs at the University, said the Disaster Relief Assistance Project will “[put] together a plan to assist people with all sorts of legal issues that arise.”

Legal advice will be provided concerning public benefits and programs, insurance claims and processes, housing rights, and other civil matters related to the storm and the displacement that resulted from it. For more information or to make an appointment at the clinic, please call 348-4960. Walk-ins are welcome at all locations.