Feature
| Publication year | 2022 |
| Pages | 0026 |
Georgia Team Ready: Bringing Out the Best of the Legal Community by Preparing for the Worst
Georgia Team Ready has created a volunteer infrastructure that allows attorneys around the state to respond to the legal needs of Georgians in the wake of a disaster.
BY SUSAN COPPEDGE
As I write this article, we have just experienced a "near miss" with Hurricane Ian. Thankfully, the storm's path meant that communities throughout Georgia were spared the worst of the storm, which left a significant amount of cleanup and recovery ahead for our neighbors in Florida. With the storm and its impact fresh on my mind, this seems like an appropriate time to share with you an important volunteer initiative ready to mobilize when disaster strikes: Georgia Team Ready (GTR).
GTR is a collaborative effort between Georgia Legal Services Program, the Young Lawyers Division (YLD) of the State Bar of Georgia, and the firms of Alston & Bird, Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton, King & Spalding and Troutman Pepper. Together, we have created a volunteer infrastructure that will allow pro bono attorneys around the state to respond to the legal needs of Georgians in the wake of a disaster. GTR is our state's response to the national effort coordinated by the Legal Services Corporation, American Bar Association Young Lawyers Division and the Federal Emergency Management Agency to provide immediate legal assistance, at no cost, to survivors of federally declared disasters.
GTR is about being ready for whatever may come, even if we don't know exactly what it may be, or which regions of our state may be affected. Any natural disaster—hurricanes, tornados, floods, fires or others—can have significant, far-reaching impacts on Georgia's citizens. Fundamental needs such as housing, food, transportation, employment and communication can be disrupted in an instant. Because many survivors of disasters will face challenges in more than one of these areas, the combined impacts can be overwhelming, leaving them with little idea how to respond or begin to rebuild.
The legal profession is experienced in handling stress, dealing with uncertainty and problem-solving. Once immediate physical needs like medical attention, food, clothing and security are addressed, pro bono lawyers can play a key role in helping survivors access recovery support and return to normalcy.
Much like any disaster preparations, GTR's...
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