Save the Date

Annual Meeting, Training, & Breakfast

Wednesday, October 7 • 8:30 a.m.–Noon
Suburban Collection Showplace
46100 Grand River Ave., Novi, MI 48374
Register as attending the State Bar's Annual Meeting

This year's annual meeting includes several fun and informative events, including a special guest presenter.

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

8:30–10:00 a.m.
Full American breakfast for networking, with brief remarks by Hon. David Jordon on new statistics of Veteran's Treatment Court efficacy rates.

10:00–11:00 a.m.
Business Meeting

11:00 a.m.–Noon • The Veteran's Benefit No One Has Heard Of: TSGLI
Attorney L. Dan Rector (Rector Law Firm, Colorado Springs, CO) will give a feature presentation on Traumatic Service Member's Group Life Insurance, a benefit thousands of veterans are unaware they may qualify for.

Legal Assistance for Veterans—What can a Lawyer do?
By Margaret "Peggy" Costello

Excerpted and reprinted with permission from the February 2015 issue of the Michigan Bar Journal.

Many military veterans face legal challenges. Unlike those in active military service who can receive free legal advice and assistance for certain personal civil legal matters, the Department of Veterans Affairs does not provide or pay for legal services for veterans. At an April 2014 VA forum on veterans' legal needs, Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric Shinseki stated, "The unmet legal needs of veterans are one of the root causes of homelessness." In fact, four of the top ten unmet needs of homeless veterans involve legal assistance for eviction/foreclosure prevention, child support issues, outstanding warrants/fines, and restoring a driver's license. Other common legal issues include accessing public benefits, guardianship, issues with debts and creditors, and expunging criminal records. (Read the Full Article)