For the Warrior Community
- Active duty service members may wish first to go to Armed Forces Legal Assistance's online database to "locate active duty legal activities offering general legal services within the continental United States". A query for the state of Indiana is here
- Indiana Lawyers for Soldiers serves family members of persons serving in Iraq or Afghanistan as a member of the Indiana National Guard. See http://www.inlawyersforsoldiers.com/
- Some local Bar Associations may have developed local programs. For example, the Evansville Bar Association has a program to "...prepare simple wills, powers of attorney and medical directives ... to military personnel in Vanderburgh, Posey, Warrick & Gibson Counties."
General-Purpose Resources
Servicemembers, veterans and their families are of course eligible to use the same resources as anyone else.- Indiana Legal Services hosts an Indiana Justice Center, which includes a county-by-county and city-by-city Find Legal Help page. It seems to be aimed primarily at low-income and elderly persons
- Legal Assistance Programs in Indiana: has a county-by-county listing of legal assistance programs, as well as brochures and more. There's a lot of overlap with Indiana Legal Services
Private Practice Attorneys
Typically, a lawyer in private practice will listen to your situation for 15 or 20 minutes, then give you an idea about how to proceed, in general terms, without charging you anything. If the matter is something the lawyer can help you with, but must charge for (everyone's got to pay the rent!), sometimes you can work out a military-family discount; does it hurt to ask?The Findlaw website has a city-by-city list of lawyers interested in representing active-duty military personnel, military reservists, and veterans here.
For Lawyers
- Indiana Lawyers for Soldiers is a convenient way to serve family members of persons serving in Iraq or Afghanistan as a member of the Indiana National Guard. It's completely voluntary, so why not sign up now at the Lawyer Registration Information page?
Also, please see the recent letter from R. William Jonas Jr., President, Indiana State Bar Association - The Indiana State Bar Association does not appear to have a Legal Assistance to Military Personnel (LAMP) Section, Committee or project; this might be a fruitful leadership opportunity for energetic attorneys!
- For a more general interest in pro bono work, the programs at Indiana Legal Services's Find Legal Help page may welcome inquiries.
- It is very likely that there are other Indiana programs, sponsored by local bar associations, law schools, and others. Anyone with more information on these or other programs are invited to contact me; the most convenient way is to add in a comment below. The purpose is service!
See also
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