Monday, September 19, 2005

Ohio Supreme Court Hurricane Katrine Response

“Almost every lawyer in the path of Hurricane Katrina had the wherewithal to get out of the storm’s path,” a Law.com/National Law Journal post last week says. “What they couldn’t do is take their offices with them.”

Large firms had disaster recovery plans, but many solo practitioners and small-firm lawyers didn’t far as well. “Bar associations & professional organizations around the country are raising money and listing office space, housing, and other forms of assistance,” the article continues.

The Ohio State Bar Association and ABA have both established relief efforts.

Chief Justice Thomas Moyer last Thursday issued orders relating to 1) the temporary admission to the practice law in the State of Ohio for lawyers displaced by Hurricane Katrina, and 2) waiver of attorney registration deadlines, late fees, and suspension provisions for Ohio lawyers who either live or work in Alabama, Louisiana, or Mississippi. (Posting)

The Hurricane Katrina Tax Relief Act, meanwhile, which would provide for penalty-free use of retirement funds; employment relief, including work opportunity credits; charitable giving incentives, and additional relief measures including modifications to casualty loss rules and a renewal of special mortgage financing rules for residents in the disaster area—engrossed with HR 3768—was passed by the Senate.

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