Thursday, April 2, 2009

Alaska Legal Assistance to Military Personnel (LAMP)

The legal community in Alaska provides legal assistance to service members, veterans and their families in a variety of ways.

For the Warrior Community

Active duty service members may wish to go first to Armed Forces Legal Assistance's online database; its list of resources in the state of Alaska is here

General-Purpose Resources

Servicemembers, veterans and their families are of course eligible to use the same resources as anyone else.

Private Practice Attorneys

Often, 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, sometimes you can work out a military-family discount, especially if you are organized, polite and easy to work with. 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

The Alaska Bar Association's List of Pro Bono Providers is a great place to find opportunities of providing help to our warrior community. While I have not found a Legal Assistance to Military Personnel (LAMP) Section or Committee in the Alaska State Bar, locating one or setting one up might be a great opportunity for an entreprenuerial attorney looking for a leadership opportunity.

It is likely that there are other Alaska 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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