The American Bar Association Awards $25,000 to The Warrior Alliance to launch the Veteran Legal Services Network
ATLANTA, GEORGIA, 09/17/2020 – The Warrior Alliance has announced a $25,000 Veterans Legal Assistance grant from the American Bar Association (ABA). The ABA formed the Military and Veterans Legal Center to increase effective legal support to veterans and enable organizations to better meet the legal needs of underserved veteran populations within their communities. The grant will fund TWA’s initial phase of the Veteran Legal Services Network (VLSN) program which will support veterans seeking access to pro bono legal representation in Georgia.
The Legal Services Corporation reports that low-income veterans and other military personnel received inadequate or no professional legal help for 88% of their civil legal problems. Complicated legal issues, a lack of early identification, and inability to connect with legal service providers has resulted in the vast majority of veteran legal needs going unmet and escalating over time. The lack of accessibility to legal representation has had a significant impact on the veteran population, with over 65% of veteran self-harm or suicide instances occurring with an unresolved legal case (or more) in the veteran’s recent history.
“Navigating the vast amount of resources during transition to a civilian lifestyle is complex and challenging for many veterans,” said TWA President and CEO, Scott Johnson. “TWA is working with legal experts to simplify and expedite the process for veterans and pro bono attorneys to get connected and achieve better legal outcomes.
The VLSN will include the development of a new technology platform, called the Provider-to-Provider (P2P) Directory, which will automate veteran legal referrals to pro-bono attorneys across the state. Due to be completed in 2021, the P2P Directory system will deliver automated searchability, user behavior tracking, referrals, and reporting/tracking. For the veteran, the system will enable the collaborative of service providers to expedite their legal services case, expand access to a more extensive set of pro bono attorneys, and improve the legal triage of their situation.
“It is an honor for the ABA to provide these grants,” states Kate Oler, Chair of the ABA Standing Committee on Legal Assistance for Military Personnel, “as this supports organizations that are working to expand and improve needed legal services for our veterans.”
About the American Bar Association
The ABA is the largest voluntary association of lawyers in the world. As the national voice of the legal profession, the ABA works to improve the administration of justice, promotes programs that assist lawyers and judges in their work, accredits law schools, provides continuing legal education, and works to build public understanding around the world of the importance of the rule of law. View our privacy statement online. Follow the latest ABA news at www.americanbar.org/news and on Twitter @ABANews.
About The Warrior Alliance:
The Warrior Alliance mission is to help Warriors and their families achieve a fulfilling civilian life by promoting collaboration between the organizations that can support them during the transition from military service. Our vision is to establish best-in-class practices for solving veteran reintegration challenges and improving veteran quality of life by maximizing the veteran transition experience, satisfaction, and outcomes. Find out more information by visiting our website at www.thewarrioralliance.org.
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Media Contacts: The Warrior Alliance: Director of Marketing Nikki Landry, nlandry@thewarrioralliance.org