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2009 News Articles › Wills For Heroes Targets Raleigh, Statesville
Wills For Heroes Targets Raleigh, Statesville
Article Date: Sunday, March 29, 2009
Written By: Russell Rawlings
They’re back!
The Young Lawyers Division of the North Carolina Bar Association has scheduled two Wills for Heroes programs in April. The programs, scheduled April 18 in Raleigh and April 25 in Statesville, represent the latest installments of an ongoing public service endeavor that has been nothing short of incredible.
Entering the final quarter of the 2008-09 fiscal year, estate planning documents have been prepared free of charge for more than one thousand first responders and their spouses. More than 3,000 documents have been prepared this year at events held in Charlotte, Greensboro, Salisbury and Winston-Salem.
It’s hard to imagine that the response will be any different in Raleigh and Statesville. The success of the program stems directly from turnout, and thus far the response from volunteer attorneys, paralegals, law students and notaries has been tremendous. The same has been true in regard to police officers, firefighters and emergency medical technicians comprising the majority of first responders who have participated in the programs.
Two key points to remember in regard to turnout are one, participation is not limited to first responders from the cities and counties in which the programs are being held. The only residency requirement is that the first responder lives in North Carolina.
Two, participation is not limited to members of the Young Lawyers Division or the NCBA for that matter. Licensed N.C. attorneys of all ages have volunteered their time and expertise for this noble undertaking and are encouraged to continue doing so. And no prior estate planning background is required to serve as an attorney or non-attorney volunteer.
The Wills for Heroes Program in Raleigh on April 18 will be held at Rex Hospital, located at 4420 Lake Boone Trail. Bennie Collins, Wake County EMS Division Chief, is the contact person for first responders who want to sign up for the event. His phone number is (919) 856-5876 and his email is bennie.collins@co.wake.nc.us.
The Wills for Heroes Program in Statesville on April 25 will be held at Mitchell Community College’s Continuing Education Center, located at 701 West Front Street. The contact person for first responders who want to sign up for this event is Donna Laney, program assistant for the Statesville Fire Department, who can be reached by phone at 704-832-3860. Her e-mail address is dlaney@statesvillenc.net.
Both programs begin at 10 a.m. and conclude at 5 p.m.; the final appointments are scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. A one-hour training program for volunteers precedes the event. In Raleigh, training will be held at 9 a.m. and again at noon for afternoon-only volunteers. In Statesville, training will also be held at 9 a.m. and again at 12:30 p.m. for afternoon-only volunteers.
Wills for Heroes provides free essential estate planning documents including wills and powers of attorney to first responders. The Wills for Heroes Foundation was established by attorneys Anthony Hayes of South Carolina and Jeff Jacobson of Arizona after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. The Foundation works to assist first responders across the country in a number of ways, including providing free estate planning documents and other financial assistance programs.
The NCBA Young Lawyers Division adopted Wills for Heroes as a public service project in 2007. Established as a major NCBA objective by President Charles Becton for 2008-09, the program has flourished under the leadership of YLD Chair Patti Ramseur and the Wills for Heroes Committee co-chairs, Susan Upton Finch of Boone and Clark Walton of Charlotte.
The training program consists of approximately 30 minutes of training on basic N.C. law regarding wills, and about 30 minutes of practicing on the computers using HotDocs software in case there are any questions.
Licensed attorneys practicing in the area of trusts & estates are encouraged to let event organizers know if they would be willing to help with the training. In addition, attorneys experienced in the area of trusts & estates are needed to serve as “floaters” during the actual event to answer any questions that the other attorneys drafting the wills may have.
Additional materials will be e-mailed to those who sign up to participate; however prior to the event date it will also be helpful to review the following “This is the Law” pamphlets available on the NCBA Web site (www.ncbar.org):
(1) Living Wills and Healthcare Powers of Attorney:
http://www.ncbar.org/public/publications/pamphlets/livingWills.pdf
(2) Protecting Your Assets: Wills, Trusts, and Powers of Attorney:
http://www.ncbar.org/public/publications/pamphlets/protectingYourAssets.pdf
Volunteers are asked to complete the following questionnaire and e-mail their responses to Jacquelyn Terrell at the NCBA at sections@ncbar.org, indicating whether you are a licensed N.C. attorney, a notary, have estate planning experience and the amount of time that you are available to volunteer.
EVENT (Raleigh, Statesville, or both): ____________________________
NAME: ____________________________________________________
NC STATE BAR NUMBER (if applicable): ____________________________
TIME AVAILABLE (all day, morning, afternoon, other): ________________
If other, please note specific time you are available: _________________
DO YOU HAVE PRIOR ESTATE PLANNING EXPERIENCE? ________________
ARE YOU A NOTARY? _________________________
If you have any additional questions, please contact Susan Finch by e-mail at sfinch@susanfinchlaw.com or by telephone at (919) 624-9772; or Clark Walton by e-mail at cwalton@mayerbrown.com or by telephone at (704) 444-3601.