WASHINGTON — On Monday, Virginia Attorney General Mark R. Herring announced a statewide initiative to provide free legal services to low-income veterans.
Four legal clinics, located throughout the state, will help veterans with wills, powers of attorney, advance medical directives and more.
“Especially for older veterans, this will be a really important service for them,” Herring says.
National surveys show more than half of Americans don’t have wills or critical estate-planning documents. Herring says cost is likely a contributing factor to this statistic.
“It’s a cost many of our veterans may not be able to afford, especially if they are older Virginians or students on a fixed income. But it doesn’t mean that these documents are any less important. Our veterans deserve the peace of mind that these legal services offer,” he says.
According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, there are nearly 800,000 veterans in the commonwealth.
The free legal services will be provided by volunteer lawyers, some of which will be from the Attorney General’s office. Herring says the program also is partnering with the Virginia State Bar, which is recruiting lawyers who want to help.
“If you are a lawyer and you’re interested in helping make sure you reach out to our office,” he says.
The program is expected to being in March 2016.
Here are the locations of the clinics:
- HAMPTON ROADS: Tuesday, March 1, 2016 at – Tidewater Community College – 1428 Cedar Road, Chesapeake, VA 23322
- RICHMOND: Wednesday, March 2, 2016 at – J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College – Parham Road Campus, 1651 E Parham Road, Richmond, VA 23228
- ROANOKE: Thursday, March 3, 2016 at – Virginia Western Community College – 3094 Colonial Avenue, Roanoke, Virginia 24015
- NORTHERN VIRGINIA: Friday, March 4, 2016 at – Northern Virginia Community College – 8333 Little River Turnpike, Annandale, VA 22003
Veterans can register online and the qualifications on the Virginia Attorney General’s website.
