MILITARY ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER

Winter 2016

 

Case Spotlight! Sailor Appointed Guardian of Ailing Father with Volunteer Attorney Help

A Navy servicemember’s father suffered a severe stroke rendering him incapacitated and needed someone to make healthcare and property decisions for him. However, he had not previously designated a power of attorney nor had he signed any healthcare directives. The sailor happened to be the only family member able to handle her father’s care, but in order to assume this role, she required court-appointed guardianship over her father. To complicate matters, the sailor was soon to be stationed in Japan for two years and therefore needed the guardianship to be in place quickly. The sailor’s military legal assistance attorney analyzed whether the client could submit guardianship papers on her own and concluded that having counsel in the servicemember’s guardianship proceedings was preferred.

Because her military legal assistance attorneys could not represent her in court, the ABA Military Pro Bono Project quickly referred the servicemember to an experienced pro bono civilian attorney in her area. The volunteer attorney was successful in persuading the court to appoint the sailor as her father’s guardian for healthcare matters and located a local attorney to be named guardian of his estate. In addition, this attorney covered all court costs for the servicemember and finalized the documents necessary to make the guardianship official, allowing her to make essential healthcare decisions for her father going forward.

Find additional case stories on our blog to see how you, our volunteers, are successfully helping military families.

 

Case Referrals and Attorney Guidance

ABA Military Pro Bono Project: Referring Cases

The ABA Military Pro Bono Project accepts case referrals from military legal assistance offices anywhere in the world on behalf of junior enlisted servicemembers facing civil legal issues, and it places these cases with pro bono attorneys where the legal assistance is needed in the U.S.

How can you submit a case to the Military Pro Bono Project? After registering on the Project’s website, you can submit case referral forms on behalf of your junior-enlisted servicemember clients. Log onto the Project’s website to submit case referrals under the “For Military Attorneys” tab.
  

Operation Stand-By: Receiving Guidance from Civilian Attorneys

The ABA Military Pro Bono Project also includes Operation Stand-By, through which you may contact civilian attorneys with legal questions relating to their geographic areas and substantive areas of expertise. Civilian attorneys are eager to help!

Please follow the guidelines. The Operation Stand-By lists are accessible and may only be used by military attorneys who are registered with the Military Pro Bono Project. Please read the Operation Stand-by guidelines.

 

ABA Home Front

ABA Home Front is an online resource designed to help military members, veterans, and their families find legal information, referrals, and representation for civil legal matters. It includes the following:

Directory of Programs

The Directory of Programs is a national, state-by-state guide to the free and low-cost legal service programs available to assist veterans, servicemembers, and their families with all types of civil legal problems. It features contact information for military legal assistance offices, legal aid and pro bono programs, lawyer referral services, and local military-specific legal programs.

Information Center

Information Center The Information Center features short, easily understood articles on matters of interest to military members, including: (1) considerations when hiring a lawyer; (2) eligibility for free services through military legal assistance offices; (3) family law matters; and (4) legal protections available under the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act.

 

Press Highlights

ABA Military Pro Bono Project Outstanding Services Awards Announced

The Project's success depends on its volunteers! Attorneys from law firms, corporate law departments, and other legal organizations throughout the nation accept pro bono cases from the Project. Thank you to all of the attorneys and pro bono coordinators who have registered with the Project and have accepted pro bono cases on behalf of our servicemembers!

Special thanks to the recipients of the ABA Military Pro Bono Project Outstanding Services Award, from the ABA Standing Committee on Legal Assistance for Military Personnel (LAMP), for their extraordinary pro bono services through the Project.

See Recipients List »

 

Holland & Knight Supports the Legal Needs of Military Families and Veterans

Holland & Knight LLP highlights its longstanding partnership with the ABA Military Pro Bono Project and the Veterans’ Claims Assistance Network in announcing its generous donation in support of our pro bono projects.

Read More »

 

Bressler Featured in ABA's Section of Litigation Spotlight on Pro Bono

Bressler, Amery & Ross, P.C. and the ABA Section of Litigation highlight Bressler attorneys’ extraordinary time and efforts in providing legal assistance to servicemembers through the ABA Military Pro Bono Project.

Read More »

 

 

News and Events

Visit the latest news and events, including CLEs.

Education

LAMP CLE Programs:

Visit the LAMP CLE webpage for information about upcoming CLE programs, along with materials from previous CLE courses.

 

Useful Books in the ABA Web Store:

Veterans Appeals Guidebook:
Guide to representing veterans in the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims.

The Military Divorce Handbook: Resource for representing servicemembers and spouses. 

A Judge’s Benchbook for the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act: Information for judges of the provisions that protect servicemembers while on active duty.

American Bar Association Legal Guide for Military Families: Legal resource for servicemembers, veterans, and their families.

Ripped Off!: Guide for military personnel about certain types of sales, scams and abusive commercial practices.

 

ABA Military Pro Bono Project’s Online Library:

Did you know that the ABA Military Pro Bono Project has an online library filled with resources that focus on legal issues faced by servicemembers, veterans, and military family members? Log onto the website and visit the Library.

 

FREE and Discounted ABA Membership

FREE ABA Membership

Did you know that you are eligible for a FREE ABA membership if you are an active-duty Judge Advocate and have been licensed to practice law for five years or less?

Membership Discount 

For military lawyers not eligible for a free membership, the ABA is offering a discounted membership rate.

 

Support

Thank you to all of our Star Ranking Supporters!

You received this email because you have registered as a member of the ABA Military Pro Bono Project and/or the ABA Veterans' Claims Assistance Network. To edit or cancel your profile, log onto www.militaryprobono.org. If you have questions, contact the Project Director, Mary C. Meixner, at mary.meixner@americanbar.org.