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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE WSBA Young Lawyers Division Announces Washington First Responder Will Clinic in Spokane(SEATTLE) — On Saturday, October 3, 2009, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., the WSBA Young Lawyers Division (WYLD) will host the Washington First Responder Will Clinic (Washington Will Clinic). The clinic will be held at the Spokane Police Department Training Center, located at 2302 North Waterworks Street, in Spokane. This event is being offered free of charge to Spokane police officers and their spouses or state registered domestic partners. An appointment is required. The October 3 clinic will be the eleventh clinic held in Washington, and the first clinic held in Spokane. At the clinics, 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’s Young Lawyers Division (Public Service Committee). In September 2006, after nearly a year of organizing and planning by the founding attorneys, the Seattle Fire Fighters Union Local 27 participated in the first clinic. To date, nearly 600 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 meet with a volunteer attorney for approximately an hour. Participants will leave the clinic on October 3 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,” says Volk. Clary adds, “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 Will Clinic,” says Volk. The October 3 clinic will be the final clinic in 2009, and organizers are already busy planning for a busy 2010 schedule, including plans to expand to Everett and the Tri-Cities. For more information, please visit http://www.wsba.org/lawyers/groups/wyld/frwc2009.htm. To participate directly in the Spokane clinic, please e-mail the Washington Will Clinic’s Eastern Division chair, Kyla McKelvey, at kyla@mckelveylaw.net. 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 and donations of paper, printer ink, and other paper supplies. If you would like to get involved, please contact Jenni Frere Volk or Ford Clary at willclinic@wsba.org. About the Washington State Bar Association # # # |