Veterans Benefits Tour

The House Committee on Veterans Affairs offers a web-based Tour of the benefits available to America's veterans and their survivors. It's a nice, non-technical summary that's a great backgrounder and reminder:
http://veterans.house.gov/benefits/legacy.shtml.

(The committee also hosts a variety of other resources, such as periodic webcasts of hearings, and heads-up on legislation. Check it out! http://veterans.house.gov/)

Operation Stand-by

Operation Stand-By is a project of the ABA Family Law Section’s Military Committee.

The volunteers on this list have agreed to take calls, e-mail, or other correspondence from JAG Officers and answer questions about family law issues in their respective jurisdiction. For terms and conditions, contact information or to volunteer to be on the list, see http://www.abanet.org/family/military/operationstandbylist.pdf

ALSO: the Military Committee has useful links and hand-outs on its website for military personnel pondering family law issues: http://www.abanet.org/dch/committee.cfm?com=FL115277

Oregon State Bar Military Assistance Panel

The Oregon bar provides opportunities for attorneys to receive specialized training and offer pro bono services to active duty service members deployed overseas, through its innovative Oregon State Bar Military Assistance Panel.

Initiated in 2003, by Oregon Attorney General Hardy Myers, Oregon Supreme Court Chief Justice Wallace P. Carson, Department of Veterans’ Affairs and the OSB, the program now has over 120 volunteer attorneys. A two-hour online CLE is available to volunteers. PLF coverage for those not otherwise covered is under a special umbrella policy for OSB Certified Pro Bono Programs.

MORE INFORMATION: http://www.osbar.org/programs/map/osbmap.html

CLE May 22, 2008: Navigating the Army's Physical Evaluation Board

Come, hear Steve Engle, supervising attorney at Office of Soldiers' Counsel at the Ft. Lewis Physical Evaluation Board, give an overview of the Army's disability evaluation system, tailored toward private practitioners who may wish to consider taking a soldier's case pro bono or on a reduced fee basis.

When: Thursday, May 22, 2008 9:00 - 11:00 a.m.

Where: WSBA Office 1325 Fourth Ave., Ste. 600, Seattle

2.0 general CLE credits pending

Cost: WSBA/LAMP members: Free
Non-Section members: $25
Law students: $8

Registration: https://pro.wsba.org/forms/cle/Z80522.asp

Note: If you are not currently a LAMP Section member, you would be wise to join the section by going to
http://www.wsba.org/lawyers/groups/legalsvsaf clicking on "Join" (upper right) and following directions. The price is the SAME as the non-section member price for the event, so be smart and join the section!

The Fund for Veterans Education

The Fund for Veterans’ Education was established by former Navy Lieutenant (now billionaire) Jerome Kohlberg to provide scholarships to veterans from all branches of the United States Armed Forces who served in Afghanistan or Iraq since September 11, 2001 and who are now enrolled in college or vocational-technical school.

According to its website, "Total maximum educational benefit over four years available to veterans who served with active duty units $39,636.; Average four year cost of attending a public university as an in state student $65,428; Average four year cost of a public university as an out of state student $105,216; Average four year cost of a private university $133,204."

Unless and until Congress gets its act together and passes a modern GI Bill, veterans who meet eligibility criteria can apply online for a scholarship: http://www.veteransfund.org/apply.php

Persons wishing to help the fund can find contact information at http://www.veteransfund.org/get_involved.php

Do your research, then be generous!

As Chris Moran reports in the San Diego Morning Tribute:

“This is something we owe,” Kohlberg said. Taking care of returning veterans is part of the cost of war as Kohlberg sees it, just like after World War II. Back then, Kohlberg had just finished three years in the Navy, a lieutenant in charge of the stores the U.S. military shopped at in Panama. When he returned, the U.S. government sent nearly 8 million veterans, including him, to school.

Kohlberg the veteran makes the moral argument that Congress needs to restore the compact between the warriors and their government. Kohlberg the capitalist makes an economic argument. The original GI Bill's massive swords-to-plowshares effort converted the world's mightiest military into a nation's middle class.
With the aid of the U.S. government, Kohlberg got a bachelor's degree from Swarthmore College, a master's degree from Harvard Business School and a law degree from Columbia University School of Law. In part because of the help they got from the government, Kohlberg said, his peers got better jobs and spent more money, paid more taxes and assumed more leadership roles in civilian life.

A new GI bill that covers all educational expenses of veterans is a good investment, one he estimates will pay five to 10 times its upfront amount. Kohlberg knows something about investments. As a pioneer of the leveraged buyout, he has amassed a $1.5 billion fortune that according to a Forbes list published this month makes him the world's 785th richest person.

Until Congress agrees to make that investment, Kohlberg will invest on his own.

There is another difference between now and then, Kohlberg said. The current wars have been financed largely by debt, while seemingly everyone in the nation sacrificed for the World War II effort, he said.

Kohlberg said he believes that even those who oppose the Iraq war as he does would agree that the nation must do more to support veterans of that war. “We're lucky we've been just sitting here on our duffs, all of us doing nothing for the war,” Kohlberg said. “We haven't even been asked.”

See full article here: http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/military/20080326-9999-1m26kohlberg.html
KUDOS to VA Watchdog for publicizing this program!

Lawyers for Warriors CLE 12/27/2007

Two of the Washington State Bar Association's Sections (World Peace Through Law and Legal Assistance to Military Personnel (LAMP) recorded a Continuing Legal Education program covering basic issues in support of military personnel, veterans and their families. The video and handouts are now available for all.

Video

* In The Civil Justice System : SCRA, USERRA, Family Law, etc
* What Officialdom Can and Can't Do: VA, State and Local efforts, JAG

Handouts

* Program Schedule and Speakers
* SCRA: Servicemembers Civil Relief Act
o 50 App USC 522 - Stay of Proceedings
* Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA)
o USERRA Outline
* Family Law
o Dividing Military Retired Pay by Joan M. Burda and Michael B. Majeski
o Modifications of Custody Cases
o Motion & Declaration re Appointment
o Order re Appointment
o Sample Order Dividing Retired Pay
o Uniformed Services Former Spouse Protection Act: Dividing Military Retired Pay by Garnishment Operations Directorate, Defense Finance and Accounting Service
* The Law Clerk Challenge

About CLE Credit

The Washington State Bar Association's MCLE Board gives the recording of this event

* Recording: 4 AV General Credit, MCLE Event 199212
* Live Event only: 4 General Credit, MCLE Event 192500

Thanks to TVW for recording and hosting this video!

Legal Assistance to Military Personnel (LAMP)

The term Legal Assistance to Military Personnel and its acronym LAMP are how the American legal community denotes civilian lawyers helping out members of our military, veterans and their families. Take advantage of the resources made available through various LAMP groups; if you're a lawyer, join one yourself for networking, information-sharing and leadership opportunities.

Lawyers and non-lawyers alike can find a lot of useful resources on the LAMP page of the various bar associations. Here's a few:

• The American Bar Association Standing Committee on Legal Assistance to Military Personnel - much current information; more added frequently
• Oregon State Bar Military Assistance Panel: http://www.osbar.org/programs/map/osbmap.html provides opportunities for Oregon attorneys to receive specialized training and offer pro bono services to active duty service members deployed overseas. Initiated in 2003, by Oregon Attorney General Hardy Myers, Oregon Supreme Court Chief Justice Wallace P. Carson, Department of Veterans’ Affairs and the OSB, the program now has over 120 volunteer attorneys. A two-hour online CLE is available to volunteers. PLF coverage for those not otherwise covered is under a special umbrella policy for OSB Certified Pro Bono Programs.
• North Carolina State Bar Association LAMP Section: http://www.nclamp.gov/ - has plenty of handouts. In fact, North Carolina LAMP resources seem pretty impressive: look here.
• New Mexico State Bar Association has a special LAMP referral program "....providing advice and representation to military personnel and their families, including Reservists and National Guardsmen who have been activated, throughout the State of New Mexico. (505) 797-6005 - 1-800-87-N-M-BAR (1-800-876-6227) In a time of national emergency our men and women in uniform and their families shouldn't have to worry about their legal rights at home. To protect these rights, New Mexico lawyers are ready to help at no or modest cost. Call for more assistance or email mkelley@nmbar.org for assistance. You may fill out the Intake Form and email."
• Washington State Bar Association LAMP Section: http://www.wsba.org/lawyers/groups/lamp - has a listserve at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/wsba-lamp

Now there are 46 other state bars out there, and who knows how many local and specialty bars? If your bar has a LAMP program, add it via the comment feature below; if it doesn't then form one!