Nearly 40 attorneys staffed phones to answer legal questions
from tornado victims at Western New England College School of Law
on June 22.
The Tornado Disaster Relief Dial-A-Lawyer, a partnership between
the Massachusetts Bar Association and the Hampden County Bar
Association, was provided free of charge as a public service to
help those affected by the devastating tornadoes that hit Central
and Western Massachusetts June 1.
HCBA Board of Directors member Robert C. Sacco, who fielded calls
at the event, said the board decided to hold a Dial-A-Lawyer during
an emergency meeting held shortly after the tornadoes hit. "The
initial thought was to help attorneys who were affected," he said.
"But the board thought it would be best to expand it to help all
tornado victims."
The MBA, which operates the Western Mass. Dial-A-Lawyer twice a
year at WNEC, agreed to assist HCBA with the event as part of the
MBA's mission of promoting access to justice.
The next MBA Western Massachusetts Dial-A-Lawyer will be held from
3:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 5. The phone number is (413)
782-1659.