Wills for Heroes Targets Statesville Saturday

Article Date: Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Written By: Russell Rawlings

LaCusia Green reviews document with Raleigh firefighter.

The Young Lawyers Division of the North Carolina Bar Association conducted another successful and rewarding Wills for Heroes program in Raleigh on Saturday, April 18. A volunteer workforce of 63 lawyers, paralegals, law students and notaries prepared 420 estate planning documents for 142 first responders and their spouses.

And while the YLD appreciates any and all words of gratitude and appreciation, it scarcely has a moment to rest on its laurels with another Wills for Heroes program scheduled this Saturday, April 25, in Statesville.

There’s also a Wills for Heroes event scheduled on Saturday, May 30, in Wilmington, making a total of eight programs in the current fiscal year alone.

Ryan Logan, right, assists couple.

The Wills for Heroes Program in Raleigh was held at Rex Hospital Bennie Collins, Wake County EMS Division Chief, served as the contact person for the first responders. The event marked the second program that has been held in Wake County with the first taking place last year in Cary.

The April 25 program will mark the first Wills for Heroes program in Statesville. The event 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.

The program begins at 10 a.m. and concludes 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. 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 Raleigh and Clark Walton of Charlotte.

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 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.

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.