Pro Bono Spotlight: NCBA Paralegal Division NC Disaster Legal Services
By Yazmeen Gadalla
Dealing with Disaster
On September 27, 2024, North Carolina was hit by a major disaster when Hurricane Helene ripped through Western NC. In response to the tragedy, the North Carolina Bar Foundation activated Disaster Legal Services (“DLS”) – an effort where the North Carolina Bar Association’s (“NCBA”) Young Lawyers Division (“YLD”) coordinates with the Young Lawyers Division of the American Bar Association, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (“FEMA”) and Legal Aid of North Carolina (“LANC”) to provide disaster-related resources and services to the public. Supporting the YLD is the North Carolina Bar Foundation, the NC Pro Bono Resource Center, and the NCBA Paralegal Division (“NCBA PD”).
When legal professionals are nervous or not sure how they can help those impacted by a disaster, Brooks’ words come to mind. “One act of service (no matter how small you self-perceive it to be) can make the world of difference for a disaster survivor who needs trusted counsel after experiencing such severe loss.” Brooks has worked in disaster relief for several years from working at Legal Aid of North Carolina’s Disaster Relief Project as a W.C. Dawson Fellow and Staff Attorney to serving as an Assistant General Counsel in the Disaster Recovery Division of the North Carolina Office of State Budget and Management. Throughout her career in disaster recovery, she has served survivors directly to alleviate legal barriers with FEMA, insurance, and displacement matters and provided outreach and education on disaster legal issues. Notably in response to Hurricane Helene, Brooks is a volunteer leader with NC Disaster Legal Services (DLS), where she works closely with state and national DLS partners, recruits and trains volunteer legal professionals and coordinates DLS operations for clinics, FEMA Disaster Recovery Centers, and case management, just to name a few responsibilities.
