Lawyers go door-to-door offering free legal advice to storm victims

ST. LOUIS, Mo. (First Alert 4) - Some St. Louis attorneys are volunteering to give legal advice to residents impacted by the tornado.

Shelter, food and electricity are some of the most critical needs for storm victims right now. Many people also have questions about their legal rights as homeowners and tenants.

A group of attorneys from the Bar Association went door-to-door in the Greater Ville neighborhood, offering help to residents.

“It could run the gamut from I want to break my lease to lots of things. It could run the gamut from A to Z,” attorney Darin Sorrell said.

One of the questions we asked is what do renters do if their landlord isn’t helping with clean-up or isn’t even answering their calls.

“It’s your landlord’s duty to make sure it’s livable. Keep ing your landlord. Keep track of when you them. Send emails instead of phone calls so you have documentation of how often you’re reaching out and how often they’re not responding,” attorney Alexa Hillery said.

Part of the idea behind this came from new Alderman Matt Devoti, whose ward wasn’t impacted, but he said other alders asked for help after residents came to them with legal questions.

Devoti has advice for landlords.

“What you need to do is inspect your building,” Devoti said. “You need to go on-site. You need to do your own evaluation of the premises. Photograph. Inspect. Bring an expert in to see how safe your building or apartments are.”

Devoti’s biggest advice for people is to document things and communicate with people.

For homeowners he is encouraging people to still plan to pay their mortgage, but suggested calling their lenders to see if it could be paused.

A big concern is for people who don’t have insurance on their homes.

“This is the toughest. This is where we need the folks in Washington and Jefferson City to act. We need that FEMA process off the ground. That’s going to be the answer,” Devoti said.

Days after the tornado hit Lawana Cunningham’s home in the Greater Ville neighborhood, she still has no power.

“It’s hard for me. I had a lot of damage outside in my backyard. It’s ridiculous. You can’t go back there.”

Cunningham is trying to get by after her life changed on Friday.

“I have to take insulin shots three times a day, and I can’t read my insulin thing because it runs off electricity. I have no electricity to tell me what my sugar level is, so I’m just praying I get some help,” Cunningham said.

You can request free legal advice from the Missouri Association of Trial Attorneys here.

On Friday, volunteer attorneys will be at the Urban League on North Kingshighway from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Copyright 2025 KMOV. All rights reserved.