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ABA Military Pro Bono Project - Winter 2016 Newsletter for Volunteer Attorneys

  • 3/8/2016
  • ABA Military Pro Bono Project
 

PRO BONO ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER

Winter 2016

 

Case Spotlight! 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.

 
Get Involved

ABA Military Pro Bono Project: Pro Bono Representation

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.

Explore pro bono case opportunities under the website’s For Volunteer Attorneys tab, which is updated daily. 
  

Operation Stand-By: Providing Legal Guidance to Military Attorneys

Through the Military Pro Bono Project’s Operation Stand-By, you may offer to provide attorney-to-attorney guidance to military attorneys so they can further assist their servicemember clients. If not already signed up with Operation Stand-By, join by logging onto the Project website to update your profile by clicking on “I am registering to join the Project's Operation Stand-By."

Already signed up with Operation Stand-By? Please log onto the Project website to review your profile to ensure that your contact information and substantive legal areas of interest are up-to-date.

 
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.

 

Support

Thank you to all of our Star Ranking Supporters!

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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.




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Topics:
  • Veterans/Military
  • Pro Bono
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