At the Massachusetts Bar Association's opening reception on
Sept. 13, MBA President Christopher P. Sullivan announced that the
MBA was preparing to join relief efforts aimed at helping people in
Texas, Florida and U.S. territories in the Caribbean recover from
the devastation wrought by Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma.
"The Massachusetts Bar Association is not going to sit idly by,"
said Sullivan. "We have decided that we are going to make
significant financial contributions to the Texas Bar Foundation and
to the Florida Bar Foundation to assist in the hurricane relief
efforts. We are also in the process of putting together a blood
drive and a future fundraising event, with all the proceeds going
to the hurricane victims in the U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico,
Florida and Texas."
Information on the planned fundraiser and blood drive will be
announced once details become available. In the meantime, Sullivan
added that the MBA has partnered with the American Bar Association
and other bar associations to promote volunteer opportunities for
Massachusetts attorneys to do pro bono work in those areas.
The ABA has modified its
ABA
Free Legal Answers system in Texas to permit out-of-state
attorneys to volunteer to answer Harvey related questions.
Lawyers are also encouraged to sign up for SOLACE, an email based network of legal
professionals who are interested in helping other members of the
legal "family," including lawyers, paralegals, legal assistants and
legal staff, court personnel, and anyone who works in the legal
profession.
In addition to the MBA-affiliated efforts, lawyers looking to
help are encouraged to visit these other sites for information on
hurricane-relief resources: