Information Regarding Free Legal Assistance
Free legal help is available for the GCCF Interim or Final Claims Process, through a network of nonprofit civil legal service organizations in Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. The free legal services program is being administered by the Mississippi Center for Justice, a nonprofit, public interest law firm. The funding for this program comes from BP. However, the Mississippi Center for Justice and the nonprofit civil legal service organizations providing the free legal help have no other connection to BP or GCCF. The funding does not affect the advice that a lawyer at any of the legal services organizations gives a claimant. Neither GCCF nor BP will interfere with the independent, professional judgment of any of the legal services attorneys. The free legal services program will not be providing assistance for litigation or claims filed with the Coast Guard National Pollution Funds Center.
If you would like to request free legal assistance, you should contact the legal services organizations in your state.
The contact information for each state is:
Alabama 866-456-4995,
press 6
Services provided by Legal
Services Alabama
Florida 855-299-1337
Services provided by Legal Services
of North Florida and North Florida
Center for Equal Justice
Louisiana 504-355-0970 if you
are in Orleans or Jefferson Parish. Outside those areas, call
800-310-7029. Or, e-mail your name, telephone number and a brief
description of the help you are seeking to: oil.spill.info@laciviljustice.org.
Services provided by Louisiana
Civil Justice Center, Louisiana Justice
Institute, Moving Forward Gulf
Coast, The Pro Bono Project
of New Orleans, and Southeast Louisiana
Legal Services
Mississippi 888-725-5423
Services provided by Mississippi
Center for Justice, Mississippi Center
for Legal Services and Mississippi
Volunteer Lawyers Project
Texas 800-733-8394
Services provided by Lone
Star Legal Aid
You can also request free legal help by sending an email to LegalAssistance@GCCF-Claims.com or calling the toll-free number 1-800-916-4893 and asking for the Legal Services Escalation Team.
The Mississippi Center for Justice is a nonprofit, public interest law firm committed to advancing racial and economic justice. Supported and staffed by attorneys, community leaders and volunteers, the Center develops and pursues strategies to combat discrimination and poverty statewide. To provide the claims assistance, the Center contracts with eleven other nonprofit legal services organizations in the five Gulf States.
You have the right to consult with an attorney of your choosing prior to accepting any settlement from the GCCF or signing a release of legal rights.