Everyone is busy and devoting time to pro bono work can at times be difficult. However, thanks to the commitment of the Jacksonville legal community, 17 senior citizens at Riverside Park Apartments now have the peace of mind that comes with having advance directive documents in place.
With family members and close friends designated and authorized to act on their behalf, these area seniors know that their wishes can be carried out, personal business handled, and decisions made if their health fails or they become incapacitated.
To make this possible, a team of attorneys, paralegals and law students came to the HUD-subsidized residential facility from 9 a.m. to noon July 28, armed with document templates, laptops, printers, a scanner and notary stamps.
The team created the documents and residents left with a packet of fully executed advance directives including durable powers of attorney, designations of health care surrogates, living wills and designations of pre-need guardians.
The Advance Directives for Seniors Pro Bono Project is a quarterly event that provides many area senior citizens with the opportunity to create these documents free of charge and with the assistance of a licensed attorney.
The project is a collaboration of Jacksonville Area Legal Aid, Florida Coastal School of Law, The Jacksonville Bar Association, and the Northeast Florida Paralegal Association.
Although the main goal of this event is to complete living wills, designations of health care surrogates, durable powers of attorney, and designations of preneed guardians, seniors also may be counseled on whether a simple will would be beneficial for them considering their personal assets. For the seniors needing wills created, a Jacksonville Area Legal Aid case is opened and a pro bono attorney on site may agree to assist the person.
At the July 28 event, these attorneys volunteered their time to counsel residents and assist with the project: Tess Arington, Mike Arington, Bruce Duggar, Bill Gallogly, Amelia Henderson, Mike Jorgensen, Rusty Mead, Susan Novak and Pat Vail.
These paralegals and students facilitated the process and helped ensure that residents accomplished their goals: Courtney Brown, Ronline Cannady, Lynn Conway, Cecil Grant Jr., Donna Hoffman, Lorna Jones-Stutson and Michelle Ramirez.
JALA Pro Bono Case Placement Manager, Claudia Romero, was there to translate for Spanish-speaking residents and open the will creation cases. Riverside Park Apartments Service Coordinator Mari Heron was on hand to assist with copying documents, resident life-planning questionnaires and scheduling appointments with the attorneys.
Pro bono service is alive and well in the Fourth Judicial Circuit and there are many opportunities to be involved and to share legal expertise in manageable and meaningful ways. Attorneys interested in participating in future Advance Directives for Seniors projects or other pro bono efforts are encouraged to contact Kathy Para, chairwoman, The JBA Pro Bono Committee, [email protected], 356-8371, ext. 363.