For over 20 years, Pro Bono Net and our programs have played a key role in supporting disaster survivors by providing them with legal help information, training lawyers and advocates responding to emergencies, and raising awareness about the justice impacts of climate disasters.
Advocates for Disaster Justice
Advocates for Disaster Justice, formerly DisasterLegalAid.org, is a groundbreaking national collaboration and legal relief effort that took root in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Under the leadership of Pro Bono Net, Lone Star Legal Aid, the American Bar Association Center for Pro Bono and the National Aid & Defender Association, Advocates for Disaster Justice has grown into the largest national network of justice advocates and allies working to advance equity, rights and resilience in communities impacted by climate-driven and other disasters.
Our National Impact
Since the major disasters of 2017, Pro Bono Net, Lone Star Legal Aid and our allies have trained over 5,000 advocates, networked hundreds of organizations to harness the power of shared experience, and mobilized new resources to strengthen legal response efforts in times of crisis. In addition, our resources to support survivors and advocates serving them have been accessed more than 400,000 times.
Our Digital Tools for Disaster Justice
We also collaborate with leading civil legal aid organizations, law firms and other justice allies to design scalable and accessible digital tools that expand access to legal help for disaster impacted communities.
Helping Survivors Obtain Federal Disaster Assistance
In the wake of Superstorm Sandy, Pro Bono Net partnered with the City Bar Justice Center in New York to launch FEMAAppeals.org, a LawHelp Interactive-powered interview to help survivors who cannot access or afford an attorney to appeal the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) disaster assistance determination. The interview has since been expanded nationally and modified over time to reflect FEMA changes.
More than 14,000 FEMA appeals have been generated using our FEMAAppeals.org tool since its launch in 2013.
Other Special Initiatives
Justice for Older Americans
Justice for Older Americans
Many seniors, but particularly those living on the economic margins, are vulnerable to issues such as financial exploitation, abuse or eviction. We create online tools that power new models of collaboration to serve the legal needs of older Americans, including those who are homebound, disabled or isolated.
Immigrant Justice
Immigrant Justice
The Immigration Advocates Network (IAN) expands access to immigration legal resources and information through collaboration and technology. IAN was created in 2007 by leading immigrants' rights organizations, to increase access to justice for low-income immigrants and strengthen the capacity of organizations serving them.
Justice in New York
Justice in New York
New York State has long been a leader in the access to justice community and serves as a model for states around the country. From New York City to rural upstate communities, Pro Bono Net's programs have played a transformative role in how legal help reaches the underserved across the state.