Supporting Our Military Members and their Families

Before reading the below, consider the following example of this noble program working in practice. Literally this morning, I received an email from a 1LT, Army Legal Assistance Officer in Fort Knox, KY, for a fairly complex Maryland Family Law issue. The 1LT contacted me when she saw me listed on the “Operation Stand-By” list of Maryland Attorneys who had volunteered in advance to give assistance to military attorneys. Coincidentally, I had just handled an almost identical issue 2 months prior and invited the 1LT to pick up the phone to call me, and I spent about 10 minutes walking her through the issue, where she was able to assist the service member. This is just one example of this program in action here in Maryland, a state that has a large military presence.

Please read on to see how you can help.

Helping those who sacrifice so much for us all.During this holiday season, please consider how you can further help our military members and their families.The ABA Military Pro Bono Project accepts case referrals from military legal assistance offices anywhere in the world on behalf of junior-enlisted, active-duty servicemembers with civil legal issues, and it places these cases with pro bono attorneys where the legal assistance is needed in the United States.

Our Project relies entirely on donations to provide much needed pro bono services to military families. For every $100 received in donations, over $900 worth of legal services are provided to our military clients. Please join our list of supporters and donate today.

Civil legal issues can be uniquely challenging for military members who cannot afford attorneys, especially when these issues can distract them from their critical missions. Attorneys volunteering through the Project assist military families facing a variety of legal matters.

A volunteer attorney in Florida helped a sailor obtain custody of his young son after the sailor learned that his ex-wife had developed a major substance abuse problem.
An attorney provided pro bono assistance to a Navy Reservist, while deployed in Iraq, and his wife to help enforce court ordered anticipatory relief with a mortgage company to prevent a foreclosure in Washington.
Before a servicemember deployed to Afghanistan, a volunteer attorney drafted a special needs trust for her disabled child to protect access to essential public benefits.
For the mother of a soldier who made the ultimate sacrifice in Afghanistan, an attorney in California provided pro bono help to probate the soldier’s estate.

Make a donation to the Military Pro Bono Project through the American Bar Association Fund for Justice and Education, the 501(c)(3) charitable fund of the ABA, to help ensure that our servicemembers can receive the legal help that they need.

Read more about how volunteer attorneys are helping our servicemembers through the Project, and how you can get involved.

Please visit the ABA Military Pro Bono Project website, www.militaryprobono.org, to further explore how you can help our servicemembers receive the legal representation that they need by joining the Project roster or making a financial contribution. Contact the ABA Military Pro Bono Project Director, Mary C. Meixner, at 312.988.5783 or [email protected], with any questions.

Related Posts

Pro Military Family Law Legislation Pending in Annapolis

Congress votes to Repeal Cuts in Military Pensions