Florida's Operation Stand-By Directory

The Florida Bar Military Affairs Committee maintains an  "Operation Stand-By Directory",

 a resource for military and Department of Defense lawyers stationed in Florida seeking the names, addresses, and telephone numbers of volunteer Florida Bar members who are also members of the military who have volunteered to respond to their military counterparts concerning issues pertaining to Florida Law.

The Operation Stand-By Program is limited to advice on subjects which fall within the scope of legal assistance. If the question which the military lawyer has is outside that area, then the military lawyer should refer their client (military member) to The Florida Bar Lawyer Referral Service at 1-800-342-8011 or a Florida Bar-sponsored local bar association lawyer referral service so that they can be referred to a private lawyer.

If you would like to be included in the Directory, please complete and return the form.


The “Operation Stand-By” program is limited to advice on subjects which fall within the scope of legal assistance. If the question which the military attorney has is outside that area, the client should be referred to The Florida Bar Lawyer Referral Service at 1-800-342-8011 or a local bar associatoin lawyer referral service.

Matters which fall within the scope of OPERATION STAND-BY should be handled as follows:

1. Civilian attorneys have indicated the areas of law for which they are willing to give advice. These areas are coded in the listing for each attorney. A key is published in the introductory section. If there is no listing after a particular attorney’s name, he or she made no entry on the application.

2. When a registered military attorney has a question concerning a certain area of the law, he or she should call the nearest available civilian attorney who has volunteered to give advice on that subject. The call is at Government expense.

3. If the civilian attorney cannot answer the question immediately, the two attorneys will make arrangements to communicate at a later time, either by the military attorney calling back the civilian attorney at a pre-designated time or by the civilian attorney calling back the military attorney COLLECT when he or she has the answer. In any event, telephone calls will be at Government expense. The civilian attorney agrees to make arrangements to have the information back to the military attorney within 24 hours after the first conversation.

Learn More

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

Florida Legal Assistance to Military Personnel (LAMP)

The legal community in Florida 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 the list for the state of Florida.

General-Purpose Resources

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

• FloridaLawHelp.org is a good, general-purpose place to start looking for law help in Florida

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. If the matter is something the lawyer can help you with, but must charge for, sometimes you can work out a military-family discount; there are no guarantees however. The Findlaw website has a city-by-city list of lawyers in Florida who are interested in representing active-duty military personnel, military reservists, and veterans here.

The Florida Bar Association has a Lawyer Referral Service and a list of similar services run by local bar associations; each has slightly different referral rules and some may charge a fee.

For Lawyers

The Florida Bar Association has a Standing Committee on Military Affairs

"The scope and function of the Military Affairs Committee is twofold: first, to gather and disseminate information, share expertise and advise the members of the Bar on all matters relating to the practice of military law in Florida, and second, to have general jurisdiction regarding any problem which may arise relative to the provision of legal services to, for, or by members of the military establishment. Its function shall be to address issues unique to representation of military members and their families in both civil and criminal matters arising within the State of Florida. Further, the committee will consider all possible means of enhancing or increasing the cooperation and communication between the local bar, the legal offices, and the judge advocates of the various military installations within the state.

Florida Bar members who have ever served in the U.S. military are asked to complete a short online questionnaire. Information collected will be used by the Military Affairs Committee to recognize service and tap expertise in program development for lawyers in active service as well as veterans."

It also invites attorneys interested in volunteering for a pro bono project or pro bono service to visit FloridaProBono.org

It is likely that there are other Florida 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!

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See also

• ABA Military Pro Bono Project
• State-by-state list of LAMP programs