TO:                  All Members of The Virginia Bar Association

FROM:           John D. Epps, President

The Virginia Bar Association held a summit earlier this year to discuss veterans legal issues with several veterans organizations and lawyers in the state.  The Virginia National Guard ("VNG") participated in the summit and subsequently indicated that it would greatly benefit VNG servicemembers if Virginia lawyers could provide them with pro bono or reduced fee legal services.  Many VNG servicemembers deploying to or returning from Iraq and Afghanistan have legal needs which the VNG does not have the resources to address.  The most common legal areas with which servicemembers need assistance are bankruptcy, immigration, family law, trusts and estates, employment, landlord-tenant and real estate.  This list is not all-inclusive and does not reflect the needs of all servicemembers.

The VBA has agreed to create a statewide resource list of lawyers willing to provide pro bono or reduced-rate legal assistance to VNG servicemembers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.  If you are able to provide free or reduced-rate legal assistance, please provide your contact information to Branden Patrick at brandenpatrick@vba.org or (804) 644-0041.  Please include in your response your name (and firm or company, if applicable), the area or areas of law in which you would be willing to provide representation, the geographic locality or region of Virginia you can service (for example, Virginia Beach or Hampton Roads), whether you are willing to work pro bono, for a reduced fee, or both, and your contact information.  We ask, but do not require, that attorneys volunteering to assist servicemembers be willing to donate at least five hours pro bono.

This list will not be distributed directly to VNG servicemembers. The VNG Judge Advocate General will interface with individual VNG servicemembers to determine what type of assistance the servicemember needs and provide appropriate references to attorneys in the servicemember’s locality.