California State Bar urges for Los Angeles wildfire victims
The California Bar Association urged victims of the recent wildfires in Los Angeles to take their time before hiring an attorney as advertisements promising significant compensation flood social media.
"We strongly encourage the fire victims to take time with their legal decisions," Erika Doherty, program director at State Bar. "There's no need to rush into an agreement. There's no need to sign anything."
Just over a week ago, on Jan. 7., destructive Santa Ana winds fueled the Eaton Fire in the northeast portion of the county near Pasadena and the Palisades Fire in the coastal community of Pacific Palisades. The disasters devastated the communities, leveling entire neighborhoods and forcing hundreds of thousands to evacuate their homes.
The Eaton and Palisades fires currently rank as two of the most destructive wildfires in California history, with roughly 12,000 structures destroyed during the disaster.
With search and rescue operations still underway, the LA County Medical Examiner has confirmed that 27 people have died during the fires. The Eaton Fire accounts for 17 of the deaths, making it the deadliest fire in LA County since 1933, according to Cal Fire statistics.
"The recovery process going to take time, and it's going to take months or perhaps even years," Doherty said. "For anyone choosing to hire an attorney at this time, we do think they should do their due diligence."
So far, fire officials have not confirmed the cause of the Eaton Fire. The state bar is cautioning people to wait for official information before rushing into anything.
"There are going to be payouts," Doherty said. "This could take some time, and so there's no need to do anything today. People should be focusing on their immediate needs which is probably not, at least today, hiring a lawyer."
If you do hire an attorney, experts recommend reading any contract before signing and doing extensive research.
"They want to make sure to look up that attorney on the California Bar website," Loyola Law professor Jessica Levinson said. "They want to try and do their due diligence and see if that attorney can offer any other clients that they could speak to."
In instances where clients cannot pay an attorney upfront, the legal team may take a percentage of their settlement if they win the case. It's recommended that clients understand the percentages before entering a payment arrangement.
