Sunday, July 19, 2009

Louisiana Legal Assistance to Military Personnel (LAMP)

The legal community in Louisiana 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". Here is a list for the state of Louisiana.

General-Purpose Resources

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

Private Practice Attorneys

The Louisiana State Bar Association has a good Lawyer Referral and Information page, giving tips on finding a lawyer and how to work with one. 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. 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 easy to work with. In addition to the Lawyer Referral and Information page, you may wish to the Findlaw website's city-by-city list of lawyers in Louisiana who are interested in representing active-duty military personnel, military reservists, and veterans.

Educating Yourself

One way that the warrior community can fix its continuing shortage of legal resources is to train up a corps of veterans as lawyers and other legal professionals. Loyola University School of Law has Programs for Veterans page and consider becoming a lawyer, paralegal or legal secretary in service to your community.

For Lawyers

The Louisiana State Bar Association has a Military Law Committee who
"... to coordinate statewide efforts to assist in legal matters affecting active, reserve and other members of the military and their families and to inform and advise Bar members of matters relating to the practice of military law in Louisiana. ..."
You can join it here.

LSBA's directory of Legal Services organizations may be another way to find programs you'd wish to support.

Law students at Tulane may participate in its Military Law Society, although I haven't seen whether it hosts clinics for military personnel or veterans.

It is likely that there are other Louisiana 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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Sunday, July 12, 2009

Kansas Legal Assistance to Military Personnel (LAMP)

The legal community in Kansas 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". Here is a list for the state of Kansas.

The Kansas State Bar (KBA) has announced:
"The KBA has reactivated its “Project Call Up” program, which matches Kansas National Guard and military reservists with volunteer lawyers who will draft basic wills and/or durable powers of attorney at no charge. Project Call Up was originally initiated during the “Desert Storm” conflict in 1990-91 and was also operational during the aftermath of the September 11 attacks.

“The members of the Kansas Bar Association are committed to helping and honoring fellow citizens who serve our country and sacrifice for all of us,” said KBA President Michael P. Crow of Leavenworth.

For more information or to be matched with an attorney in their area, Kansas National Guard and military reservists are encouraged to contact the KBA at (785) 234-5696 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday."

General-Purpose Resources

Servicemembers, veterans and their families are of course eligible to use the same resources as anyone else. In particular, Kansas Legal Services host several helpful resources:
  • The Public Law Library hosted by Kansas Legal Services is a good, general-purpose place to start looking for law help in Kansas
  • The Kansas Legal Services Get Help page itself offers several types of help, such as a referral service, hotlines, and civil legal advice and representation for income eligible persons.

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. 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 easy to work with.

The Kansas State Bar has a lawyer search page that lets you search for lawyers and mediators by a variety of criteria, such as local or field of practice, e.g. "Military Law". Search here.
The Findlaw website has a city-by-city list of lawyers in Kansas who are interested in representing active-duty military personnel, military reservists, and veterans. There are several lawyer referral services in Kansas, run by organizations such as the Kansas City Metropolitcan Bar Association, the Witchita Bar Association and Kansas Legal Services. Another choice may be to find an arbitrator or a mediator; Kansas City Metropolitcan Bar Association offers help finding arbitrators & mediators.

For Lawyers

"The KBA is seeking members to draft basic wills as well as durable powers of attorney on a pro bono basis for families of reservists who are on alert or called to active duty.

This important community service program aptly named “Project Call Up” was originally initiated during the Desert Storm conflict and was reactivated in 2001 in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks.

To participate or for more information, please contact Meg Wickham at (785) 234-5696 or via e-mail at mwickham@ksbar.org. You will be glad that you did!"
KBA does not appear to have a Section dealing with legal assistance to military personnel, but it is likely that there are other Kansas programs, sponsored by local bar associations, law schools, and others. Organizing such a program in your local or subject-matter bar association would be a great opportunity to provide a needed service! 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!

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Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Advocate Training (Free!)

If you're interested in advocating for veterans, get free training from the National Veterans Legal Service Program. From its website:
"From the very beginning, one of NVLSP’s primary missions has been to train advocates in veterans law so that they can efficiently help veterans secure benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs.

During the last 26 years, we have conducted training programs for groups of non-attorney advocates as well as groups of attorneys.

On a continuing basis, NVLSP trains service officers from major service organizations – The American Legion, The Military Order of the Purple Heart and Vietnam Veterans of America. We have also developed and conducted training programs for other groups of non-attorneys in a wide variety of organizations including The National Association of State Directors of Veterans Affairs, The National Association of County Veterans Service Officers, Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States, AMVETS, and state and county departments of veterans affairs.

Additionally, NVLSP regularly trains attorneys as part of the Veterans Consortium Pro Bono Program. We have also developed and conducted training programs for attorneys in organizations including The Legal Services Corporation, The National Legal Aid and Defender Association, The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, and state bar associations.

In-Person Training Sessions

Whether you are seeking training for non-attorney advocates or attorneys, we will work with you to customize a training program that meets the needs of your organization. We are available to conduct one-day to four-day training sessions.

For further information or to schedule training, please contact Ronald B. Abrams, Esq. at ron_abrams@nvlsp.org
Correspondence Courses Also Available
If you don't require in-person training, consider NVLSP's Correspondence Advocate Training Programs."
Getting some of this free training should be a no-brainer. Hosting such a program can be a way to buildup your local bar association or group of law firms while improving your capacity to serve this underserved population. Check it out!
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Sunday, July 5, 2009

New Jersey Legal Assistance to Military Personnel (LAMP)

The legal community in New Jersey 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". Here is a list for the state of New Jersey.

Servicemembers and veterans alike may find a lot of resources with the New Jersey Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, such as a Veterans Guide, link to Service Offices, lots of forms, and more.

The New Jersey Bar Association has organized a remarkable Military Legal Assistance Program, as follows:
"The Military Legal Assistance Program is a pro bono program established by the New Jersey State Bar Association, through its Military Law and Veterans' Affairs Committee, in conjunction with McCarter & English, L.L.P. This program provides free legal assistance to eligible military personnel. To be eligible for the program you must:
  • be a New Jersey resident;
  • be a member of the reserve components of the armed forces (Army National Guard, Army Reserve, Air Force Reserve, Air National Guard, Navy Reserve, Marine Corp Reserve, etc.); and
  • have been called to active duty and deployed in Iraq or Afghanistan since 2001.
The Military Legal Assistance Program offers legal assistance to eligible military personnel in three areas:
  • Family Law
  • Employment Law
  • Debtor-Creditor Law
Please call 888-541-1900 to request assistance. If you are eligible for assistance, your case will be referred to a volunteer who can assist you with your specific legal issue."

General-Purpose Resources

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

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. 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 easy to work with. The Findlaw website has a city-by-city list of lawyers in New Jersey who are interested in representing active-duty military personnel, military reservists, and veterans .

New Jersey county bar associations have set up over 20 Lawyer Referral Services.

For Lawyers

The New Jersey Bar Association (through its Military Law and Veterans' Affairs Committee, in conjunction with McCarter & English)
established a Military Legal Assistance Program to help New Jersey residents who have served overseas as active duty members of reserve components of the armed forces after September 11, 2001. To learn more and/or volunteer, contact the program here.

You may also find many pro bono opportunities through Pro Bono NJ.org/ especially through its pro bono opportunities guide.

It is likely that there are other New Jersey 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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