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Public: Recent News

Attorney Betsy Holt assists Brandy and Michael Lingle.

CHARLOTTE – The Young Lawyers Division of the North Carolina Bar Association, and the legal profession as a whole for that matter, now hold a special place in the hearts and minds of first responders in the Charlotte area.

This wave of goodwill was generated Saturday (Oct. 6) when the YLD hosted a Wills for Heroes event in conjunction with the ABA YLD Fall Conference, which by the way was also a huge success.

But nothing can compare to the Wills for Heroes endeavor, during which more than 200 wills were written free of charge for members of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department and other first responders from the area.

Kimberly Best provides service with a smile to Jeff and Merideth Courtet.

The turnout shattered existing single-day records for Wills for Heroes, a nationwide program that was established after 9/11 to help ensure that law enforcement officers, firefighters and emergency medical technicians have wills in place should tragedy strike in the line of duty.

“They were very, very appreciative,” said YLD Chair Kim Sieredzki in regard to the first responders. “They couldn’t believe we would offer this program. So many of them said that they would not have taken this step otherwise; they would not pay to get a will done.”

First responders, she added, are trained not to think about death.

Ehsan Akhavi and Rebecca Niburg participate in training program.

“So they’re not thinking about getting a will done, either. That’s why Jeff Jacobson and Anthony Hayes started Wills for Heroes after 9/11.”

It was Hayes, an attorney in Columbia, S.C., who came up with the idea after asking the Columbia Fire Department what lawyers could do to help in the aftermath of 9/11. The program was immediately successful on the local front, but it really took off in 2004 when Jacobson, during his term as president of the State Bar of Arizona’s YLD, brought Wills for Heroes to his state.

Wills for Heroes is now in place in a half-dozen states and continues to grow, thanks in part to the Wills for Heroes Foundation which was established in April of this year. More than 7,000 estate planning documents for first responders have been prepared since November 2001.

Law students from Charlotte and Wake Forest participated, including Charlotte's (from left) Waneta Ellis, Marc Asbill and Gregory Spink.

But the program has never seen anything like the outpouring of volunteers and participants on Saturday.

“We prepared 202 wills,” Sieredzki said. “The next largest before that was 80, so we crushed that! We were planning to do 60 originally, and then all of a sudden the police officers booked double that amount.”

The turnout was equally resounding on the volunteer side, where a team of attorneys, paralegals, notaries public and law students staffed the event. Training commenced at 10 a.m. under the direction of Greensboro attorney Jennifer Noble, followed by the preparation of estate documents from 11 to 5 p.m. (Click here for a complete listing of the NCBA volunteer team.)

A steady stream of first responders filled the Charlotte Fire and Police Training Academy throughout the day.

“I was so pleased to have the chance to help so many people at once,” said Noble. “What a terrific program, to give peace of mind to those who give us peace of mind on a daily basis. And it was fun for me to share with the other attorneys the pleasure of providing folks with a plan for their loved ones.”

Brandy and Michael Lingle were first in line, she being the first responder although both of them work for the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department. Brandy Lingle is a detective in the domestic violence unit while her husband of five years is a dispatcher.

“It is important for us to have our affairs in order,” she said. “We looked into having this done but we couldn’t afford it. This is a great thing they’re doing here.”

“It’s certainly worth spending the time this takes to make sure our families are taken care of,” her husband added.

Officer Jeff Courtet and his wife of 15 years, Merideth, agreed wholeheartedly.

“I jumped on it the first day,” the 12-year law enforcement veteran stated. “My wife has been after me to do this. The last time I had anything done was when I completed a pre-deployment will before going to Iraq (for the Gulf War in 1991).”

Arden lawyer Betsy Holt, who co-chairs the YLD Pro Bono/Poverty Issues Committee, assisted the Courtets.

“I was very grateful for the chance to participate in the WFH project,” Holt said. “Many of the police officers spoke to me quite matter of factly about the dangers they face on their daily beat, the difficulties they experience in making ends meet on a law enforcement salary, and the toll their work sometimes takes on their families.

“But, to a person, they also expressed a quiet and steady dedication to their profession.  In light of the sacrifices each family makes to help me be safer, it was a privilege to do something for them in return.  I hope many North Carolina attorneys can participate in this important project in the years to come.”

A number of individuals played key roles in putting the event together, especially Brian Russell, in-service training coordinator for the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department who staffed the event, managed technology matters large and small, and helped get the word out to his grateful colleagues.

In addition to Hayes and Jacobson, the Charlotte event received national support from Dan McKenna, a Philadelphia attorney who serves as the public service coordinator for ABA YLD.

"The energy and the efficiency of the NCBA YLD made implementation in North Carolina a seamless and enjoyable process resulting in a much needed benefit to Mecklenburg County first responders," McKenna said. "On behalf of the ABA YLD and The Wills for Heroes Foundation, I would like to thank the NCBA YLD for committing to this program to ensure that this service to first responders continues into the future."

Joining Sieredzki, Noble and Holt on behalf of the NCBA YLD were ABA District 9 Representative Kirk Bradley; Ward Davis who served as the ABA YLD Fall Conference Task Force chair; division directors Heath Gilbert and Robert King; newsletter editors Harrison Lord and Rebecca Niburg; Alex Ryan, CLE and New Projects Committee chair; Winston-Salem attorney Matt Arundale; Jason James who co-chairs the YLD Law-Related Education Committee; trusts and estates experts Charity Falls and Crystal Klein; and staff liaison Jacquelyn Terrell, assistant director of section and division activities.

“One thing that helped make this day especially gratifying was the fact that we did not know the ABA was going to give CLE credit for the one-hour training program,” Sieredzki added.

“In other words, people were volunteering solely out of the good of their hearts.”

Wills for Heroes leadership was provided, from left, by Dan McKenna, YLD Chair Kim Sieredzki, co-founders Anthony Hayes and Jeff Jacobson, and YLD leaders Kirk Bradley and Ward Davis.