FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 24, 2009
Contact: Judith Berrett
Director of Member and Community Relations
206-727-8212; judithb@wsba.org
Washington Lawyers to Volunteer at First Responder Will Clinic in Bellevue;
Free Documents to Be Prepared for Firefighters, Police Officers, and Their Spouses
(SEATTLE) — On Saturday, April 4, 2009, from 9:00 a.m. to 4 p.m., the Washington State Bar Association Young Lawyers Division (WYLD) will host the Washington First Responder Will Clinic (Washington Will Clinic). The clinic will be held at Bellevue City Hall, located at 450 110th Ave. NE, in downtown Bellevue. This event is being offered free of charge to Bellevue firefighters and police officers and their spouses (an appointment is required).
At the Washington Will Clinic, volunteer attorneys provide free estate-planning advice and documents, such as wills, powers of attorney, and healthcare directives, to first responders who risk their lives every day protecting our local communities. Attorneys Ford Clary and Jenni Frere Volk introduced the program to Washington in 2006; soon after, they presented the concept to the WSBA Young Lawyers Division. In September 2006, after nearly one year of organizing and planning by the co-chairs, Seattle Fire Fighters Union Local 27 participated in the first clinic. Seven clinics later, approximately 350 officers and their spouses have been assisted by the Washington Will Clinic.
First responders are asked to complete a thorough questionnaire before arriving at the clinic, and once there, they are given the chance to meet with a volunteer attorney for approximately an hour. The first responders will leave the clinic on April 4th with signed and executed estate-planning documents in hand.
The program hopes that first responders can take comfort in the fact that they go to work each day knowing that their estate plan has been thought out and is in order.
Sadly, in 2007, a Washington Will Clinic client passed away after a battle with cancer. His fellow officers reported that he took some solace in knowing that his loved ones would be taken care of upon his passing.
"We were all devastated to learn of the officer's passing and we can only hope that our contribution made things a bit more comforting for the family during this difficult time," said Volk. Clary added, "It feels good to know that our program has made a difference in someone's life."
The Washington Will Clinic takes an extraordinary amount of volunteer manpower to run each clinic efficiently and professionally. It takes nearly 50 volunteers to staff each clinic, as well as significant communication among the organizers, the WSBA, and the police and fire departments. "Ford and I recognize that the volunteers are the backbone of the clinic, and without them, we would not be successful. There is no question that our volunteers have made this program into what it is today — they are reliable, professional, and extremely devoted to the Clinic," said Volk.
The Washington Will Clinic will hold its third annual Seattle clinic in mid-September and plans to expand the reach of the program this year to include Bellingham (May 30) and Spokane (October 3). More expansion plans for 2010 are also underway. See www.wsba.org/lawyers/groups/wyld/frwc2009.htm.
The Washington Will Clinic is made possible by the generous support of the WYLD Public Service Committee; the WSBA Real Property, Probate and Trust Section; the American Bar Association Young Lawyers Division through a subgrant from the ABA Fund for Justice and Education; and Starbucks Coffee Company. The clinic is always looking for volunteers, as well as donations of paper, printer ink, and other supplies. If you would like to get involved, please contact Jenni Frere Volk (jenni@volklawfirm.com) or Ford Clary (fordclary@hotmail.com).
About the Washington State Bar Association
The WSBA is part of the judicial branch, exercising a governmental function authorized by the Washington State Supreme Court to license the state's 32,700 lawyers. The WSBA both regulates lawyers under the authority of the Court and serves its members as a professional association – all without public funding. As a regulatory agency, the WSBA administers the bar admission process, including the bar exam; provides record-keeping and licensing functions; and administers the lawyer-discipline system. As a professional association, the WSBA provides continuing legal education for attorneys, in addition to numerous other educational and member-service activities.
The governance of the WSBA is vested in its Board of Governors. There are three governors from the seventh congressional district; one from each of the other eight districts; and three at-large, one of whom represents the Young Lawyers Division. The president is Mark A. Johnson, of Seattle. The president-elect is Salvador A. Mungia, of Tacoma, and the immediate past-president is Stanley A. Bastian, of Wenatchee. The Board meets regularly (every six weeks) at various locations around the state, and its meetings are open to the public. Much of the work of the Bar is carried out through its numerous standing committees, 27 sections, and a Young Lawyers Division, with its many committees.
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