Veterans Programming
Check back for details about the next scheduled Veterans Dial-A-Lawyer
Free training provided by the MBA has made it possible for attorneys to offer their complimentary services to veterans, who are struggling to navigate the legal system in the areas of housing, employment and medical care.
Attorneys will be able to use the skills they learned at a fall 2007 training seminar to help veterans in several ways, including offering assistance in appealing benefits at the state and federal levels. Additionally, attorneys have been able to assist veterans who called in their legal concerns or questions by volunteering for a special veterans MBA Dial-A-Lawyer programs, which occurred on Oct. 25 and April 9.
Lastly, the MBA will be kicking off a visiting lawyer program that will send attorneys to city and town veterans service offices for the day to assist veterans one on one regarding a specific legal issue/problem.
This new program comes on the heels of a report released recently by the Government Accountability Office that reveals almost half of wounded service members do not get the service they need once they return because medical units are short staffed and the average veterans must endure a 177-day delay before receiving disability payments.
A report by the Institute for Defense Analysis also concluded that veteran benefits are inequitable, often varying by state, and a study by the Pentagon found nearly half of all National Guard members report physiological conditions after returning home.
Attorneys: Click here for more details about the implementation of the program and how to become involved.
For additional information regarding all MBA-related veterans programming, contact Elizabeth O’Neil, director of Community and Public Services at (617) 338-0560 or via [e-mail eoneil].
Click the links below to read more about this initiative in previous issues of Lawyers Journal and press releases:
By Kate O’Toole and Jennifer Rosinski
Forty-seven attorneys from a variety of cities and areas of practice attended the Massachusetts Bar Association’s daylong training session on Sept. 27 that aimed to teach attorneys how to offer free legal aid to veterans. The program was offered by the MBA and U.S. Trust, Bank of America Private Wealth Management.
Access to benefits and struggles with post-combat medical care are issues that have plagued veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan for many months. On Oct. 16, President Bush held a press conference to present the findings of a presidentially appointed commission studying ways to streamline and improve medical care for veterans...
by Kate O'Toole
Lisa LaFera majored in psychology and criminal justice at Middle Tennessee State University, taking classes part time while she served in the U.S. Air Force. During college, LaFera once asked one of her professors — a former public defender — about the best way to start a career as a paralegal.
“He said to me, ‘Lisa, why be a paralegal? Have you thought about going to law school?’ And the thought had never occurred to me,” LaFera recalled.
A few years later, she moved to Nashua, N.H., where she lived and worked while attending New England School of Law. After graduating from law school, she wasn’t sure exactly what she wanted to do. “I knew that I wanted to help and wanted to make more of a difference, but I wasn’t sure how,” she said....
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