Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Colorado Legal Assistance to Military Personnel (LAMP)

The legal community in Colorado provides Legal Assistance to Military Personnel 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 to "locate active duty legal activities offering general legal services within the continental United States".

A query for the state of Colorado is here
Some of Colorado's counties offer military-focussed programs, such as Adams County Military Family Assistance Program which, among many other items, offers help with legal guardianship and custody assistance.

General-Purpose Resources

Servicemembers, veterans and their families are of course eligible to use the same resources as anyone else. The Colorado Legal Services website a good place to start; it's loaded with information!

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, sometimes you can work out a military-family discount,  especially if you are organized 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.

The Colorado page for the National Resources Directory has some useful general-audience links, such as the American Bar Association's Consumers' Guide to Legal Help - Colorado.

For Lawyers

The Colorado Bar Association's Military Law Committee serves as a resource for attorneys and members of the military community who are facing issues pertaining to all aspects of military law. The committee has attracted members from across the state and meets at noon on the second Wednesday of each month in the CBA offices. Contact the Committee to get on its Referral List or otherwise participate

COBAR also hosts a general-purpose Volunteer Opportunities page that includes, inter alia, Veterans’ Stand Down:
  • Assist homeless vets by answering legal questions and offering legal information and referrals to other community legal resources. 
  • Legal resource information provided. 
  • Time Commitment: 2 hour shifts 
  • Timing: November
There are many other opportunities for pro bono service in Colorado, some of which may apply to members of our warrior community; see http://www.coadvocatesforum.org/index.cfm
In particular, retired or inactive attorneys can provide pro bono legal services to the poor with the support of certain nonprofit entities under CRCP 223.

But Wait There's More!

It is very likely that there are other Colorado 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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