Tuesday, March 15, 2011

From the ABA Military Pro Bono Project:
"A Navy sailor stationed in Florida had two child support orders for the same child wrongly entered in an Illinois court, resulting in a significant reduction to his income, as he paid double child support. The second order was entered while he was deployed to Afghanistan. The Military Pro Bono Project found a volunteer attorney in Illinois who was able to resolve the child support withholding issue for the servicemember."
The ABA Military Pro Bono Project has posted volunteer opportunities on behalf of servicemembers in all parts of the country. To learn more about the Military Pro Bono Project and the latest volunteer needs, visit http://bit.ly/MPBPopps .





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Monday, March 14, 2011

Mar 24/Seattle, WA - The History of Military commissions in American Jurisprudence

Join Vice Admiral MacDonald as he discusses the differences in the processes of military commissions and federal court proceedings. He will compare legal process and rights of defendants in the two courts and use cases from history to compare and contrast. The presentation will include time for questions and further discussion.

Title
"The History of Military commissions in American Jurisprudence"

Sponsor:
WSBA Legal Assistance for Military Personnel Section
When:
March 24, 201112:30 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.

Where:
USCG Base Seattle
1519 Alaskan Way S, Seattle

CLE Credits:
2 general credits

Cost:
Free

Click here for further details and online registration
http://www.wsba.org/lawyers/groups/lamp/lampevents2009.htm

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Apr 8/Baltimore, MD - 3rd Annual Veterans' Legal Assistance Conference

Designed for law students, lawyers, policy makers, and other service professionals, this conference will provide a forum for discussing critical issues facing our veterans. The conference also includes a training for lawyers interested in representing veterans in their claims for service-connected disability benefits.
Sponsor:
Pro Bono Resource Center of Maryland, University of Maryland School of Law, Homeless Persons Representation Project

April 8, 2010 0  8:30 AM - 5:00 PM

Location:
University of Maryland School of Law
500 W. Baltimore Street
Baltimore, MD
Contact:
Kiah Elmore
Pro Bono Resource Center of Maryland
kelmore@probonomd.org
410-837-9379
Website: http://www.probonomd.org/

This conference is free, but registration is required.
Apr 8/Baltimore, MD - 3rd Annual Veterans' Legal Assistance Conference
MORE:

Monday, February 7, 2011

Feb 11/Cleveland, OH - Divided Loyalties: Professional Standards and Military Duty

There has always been some tension between the ethical, legal, and professional obligations of professionals and the requirements of military service. This tension has been increased by the War on Terror. Physicians, mental health professionals, lawyers, and law enforcement/corrections officers serving in the military have been placed in situations in which their professional ethics, obligations, and legal duties may contradict military necessity or directives, or even place the role of professional in direct conflict with the role of military personnel.
As the management of armed conflict, the law of war, and the professionalization of the military has increased, this tension has similarly increased. Military professionals have been asked to bring their expertise, skills, and professional talents to the prosecution of military action not just as military personnel but as doctors, mental health professionals, lawyers, and law enforcement/corrections officers. Doctors and mental health professionals are charged with supervising and controlling interrogations, lawyers are asked to provide legal opinions and advise on the treatment of prisoners, and law enforcement and corrections officers must guard and control prisoners. While performing these duties military necessity can impose conflicting duties and concerns. The need for information, validation, or security may require different loyalties and focus than the professional duty. The need for information about an upcoming attack that could save the lives of comrades may directly contradict the need for care or treatment of a prisoner.
This symposium brings together professionals, ethicists, theorists and practitioners from medicine, mental health care, the law, law enforcement, and the military to explore these complicated and timely issues in an open and frank discussion.
Title:

"Divided Loyalties: Professional Standards and Military Duty"
An Interdisciplinary Symposium funded in part by the Arthur W. Fiske Memorial Lectureship Fund
Co-sponsored by: Center for Professional Ethics, Frederick K. Cox International Law Center, Institute for Global Security Law & Policy, Law-Medicine Center, and Center for Social Justice

Speaker Information:

  • Deborah Ascheim, MD, Associate Professor Mount Sinai School of Medicine
  • George Annas, Professor Boston University Law School & School of Public Health
  • David Frakt, Professor Barry University Law School, Orlando
  • Jon Hanson, Professor Harvard Law School
  • Beth Hillman, Professor University of California, Hastings
  • Steven Reisner, Physicians for Human Rights/ International Trauma Studies Program New York University.
Agenda:
View Agenda: http://law.case.edu/centers/law_med/content.asp?content_id=177

Location:

Moot Courtroom (A59)
Case Western Reserve University School of Law
11075 East Blvd.
Cleveland, Ohio 44106

CLE Credit:
6.5 of CLE credit available.

Additional Information:

Open to the public at no cost.
CLE credit will be available for a $200 fee to lawyers who attend.
We encourage attendees to arrive at registration 20 minutes prior to the start of a lecture to sign in, obtain materials, and be seated. 

DIRECTIONS TO CAMPUS
There is no law school parking, however, public parking, for a fee, is available in the Cleveland Botanical Garden parking underground garage. Also, meter parking might be available.

Recording in any form is prohibited.

Supplemental Readings:

 MORE:

Sunday, January 30, 2011

Florida: 2010 Military Law and Legal Assistance Symposium

The Florida Bar has posted the 2010 Military Law and Legal Assistance Symposium; although currently accreditted for Florida attorneys, most of the content appears to be directed to matters relevant nationwide. Its description, according to FLBar:

  • 7.0 Total CLE Units, 1.0 of which may be applied toward Ethics, 1.0 of which may be applied toward Real Estate
  • Price: $150.00 (provides online access for 3 months after purchase).
  • Course №: 1236C
  • Course Level: Intermediate
  • Duration: 4 Hours 40 Minutes
  • Original Program Date: Saturday, June 26, 2010
  • CLE Credit Information This course has been approved for continuing legal education credit under the plan(s) and in the following area(s): 7.0 General CLER Credits and 1.0 Ethics
About this Seminar 
  • Welcome and Introductions
    The Honorable James A. Ruth, Jacksonville
  • New Legislation Affecting Military Members and Families
    John E. Tuthill, Esq., St. Petersburg
  • Military Service and Parenting
    Lela Bloodsworth, Esq., St. Petersburg
  • The Impact of Bankruptcies on Foreclosures
    The Honorable A. Jay Cristol, Miami
  • Domestic Violence Injunctions
    Carin M. Constantine, Esq., St. Petersburg
  • Update on Veterans Advocacy
    Harold W. Youmans, Esq., Riverview
  • Professional Ethics and Practice
    Elizabeth Gonzalez, Esq., Jacksonville
  • Rule 18 and Military Ethics Panel
    Kevin P. Flood, Esq., Jacksonville
  • Overview of Mission of The Florida Bar Military Affairs Committee and Wrap-Up
    The Honorable James A. Ruth, Jacksonville
MORE:
http://www.legalspan.com/tfb/catalog.asp?UGUID=&CategoryID=&ItemID=20100810-272095-103246

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Bank apologizes for overcharging troops for mortgages

Jeff Schogol  writes in Stars and Stripes
WASHINGTON — JPMorgan Chase & Co. is repaying more than $2 million to about 4,000 military families who were overcharged for their mortgages.

The Servicemembers Civil Relief Act caps servicemembers’ interest payments at 6 percent while they are on active duty, according to Military One Source.

NBC News first reported on Monday that the bank had overcharged the families in violation of the SCRA. The bank also improperly foreclosed on the properties of 14 of the families. SCRA mandates that banks cannot arbitrarily foreclose on property owned by active-duty military personnel or those in the first nine months after leaving active duty.

AdvertisementJPMorgan Chase said those 14 properties have been or will be returned to the owners.

Marine Capt. Jonathan Rowles filed a lawsuit against JPMorgan Chase, claiming it charged him 9 percent interest on his mortgage and then continued to insist he owed the higher interest rate even after the bank re-set his rate at 6 percent, according to NBC. So far, Rowles has been refunded part of his money, a bank official told Stars and Stripes on Tuesday.

The refunds come after a review that the bank launched several months ago into home loans to troops, according to a statement from JPMorgan Chase. The bank now has a team dedicated to military families’ loans.

“We made mistakes here and we are fixing them,” the statement said. “There is no finer group of people than the men and women in the armed services who fight to protect our country every day.”

The Defense Department’s director of the Office of Legal Policy said it appears that JPMorgan Chase has recognized its mistakes and is trying to fix them. “Anyone in the military who thinks he or she has a problem with Chase should go see a local legal assistance attorney,” Army Col. Shawn Shumake said in an e-mail.
Military families who have questions about their JPMorgan Chase loan can call 1-877-469-0110.
jeffrey.schogol@stripes.osd.mil
MORE:
http://www.stripes.com/news/bank-apologizes-for-overcharging-troops-for-mortgages-1.132215

Saturday, December 18, 2010

Vietname Veterans of America vs. DoD: Personality Disorders Discharge Lawsuit

From Vietnam Veterans of America:
"Vietnam Veterans of America has filed a lawsuit responding to Department of Defense's wrongful discharge of nearly 26,000 veterans.
 
The Department of Defense (DoD) has violated the law by failing to release records showing that it has wrongfully discharged nearly 26,000 service members on the basis of so-called "Personality Disorder." This Personality Disorder designation has prevented disabled veterans from receiving the disability compensation and other benefits they have earned. Vietnam Veterans of America and its counsel, the Veterans Legal Services Clinic of the Jerome N. Frank Legal Services Organization at Yale Law School, hope that the records they obtain through this lawsuit will convince Congress to mandate a systemic review of these discharges and compel DoD to repair the harm it has caused.
The complaint, press release and other documents are accessible at http://vva.org/ppd.html.