Baylor Law Veterans Clinic Announces Free Estate Planning for Veterans and Their Spouses as Part of 2021 Veterans Day Commemoration
WACO
To honor local veterans, Baylor Law students will offer, for the 10th consecutive year, free estate planning for veterans and their spouses as part of Baylor Law´s Veterans Day commemorations. During this year's clinic, phone appointments will be set to give veterans an overview of the five documents that will be drafted free of charge: will, power of attorney, medical power of attorney, declaration of guardian, and directive to physicians. Law students will then draft these important documents under faculty supervision. Veterans and their spouses will then be invited to Baylor Law for an in-person signing ceremony. This special service is made possible in part through a grant from the Texas Access to Justice Foundation.
Appointments are available from Monday, November 1, through Friday, November 5, 2021. The clinic is open to veterans and their spouses who currently reside in McLennan County or any adjacent county.
McLennan County and its surrounding counties are home to more than 75,000 military veterans, many of whom would benefit from legal guidance with end-of-life decision-making, including making long-term healthcare decisions and effectively planning for future financial needs, but are unable to afford legal counsel. To meet this need, Baylor Law is once again hosting its annual Veterans Day Estate Planning Clinic, providing pro bono estate planning for local veterans and their spouses. "It is a privilege for our faculty, staff, and students to serve those who served our country," stated clinic director Josh Borderud, who added, "Our students refine their estate planning skills during the clinic, and they are honored to use their legal training to serve those have sacrificed so much for our country."
While Baylor Law's Veterans Day Estate Planning Clinic is an annual event, serving veterans and their spouses is a year-round mission for Baylor Law students. The Baylor Law Veterans Clinic provides pro bono legal advice to military veterans and their spouses at monthly legal clinics held at the Heart of Texas Veterans One Stop in Waco. At the clinics, Baylor Law faculty, staff, and students work together with local lawyers to serve veterans residing in McLennan County and its surrounding counties, many of whom cannot afford to hire an attorney. These clinics also help strengthen a culture of service in Baylor Law students: the desire to use their legal training to help others. In the past year, a total of 27 students volunteered at legal advice clinics, which served 111 veterans and their spouses. In addition, A total of 24 students drafted 66 wills for veterans, first responders, and their spouses.
Veterans who are interested in the Estate Planning Clinic should call (254) 710-4244 or email LegalClinics@baylor.edu to schedule their appointment.
Baylor Law will also participate in a special luncheon hosted by the Waco-McLennan County Bar Association on Friday, November 5, for local attorneys to hear more about McLennan County’s groundbreaking Veterans Treatment Court. Attorneys can contact www.wacobar.net for more information.
MEDIA CONTACT: Ed Nelson, Director of Marketing & Communications
EMAIL: Ed_Nelson@Baylor.edu
PHONE: 254-710-6681
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Established in 1857, Baylor University School of Law was one of the first law schools in Texas and one of the first west of the Mississippi River. Today, the school has more than 7,600 living alumni. It is accredited by the American Bar Association and is a member of the Association of American Law Schools. Baylor Law has a record of producing outstanding lawyers, many of whom decide upon a career in public service. The Law School boasts two governors, members or former members of the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate, two former directors of the FBI, U.S. ambassadors, federal judges, justices of the Texas Supreme Court and members of the Texas Legislature, among its notable alumni. In its law specialties rankings, U.S. News & World Report ranked Baylor Law's trial advocacy program as one of the top 5 in the nation. Baylor Law is also ranked in the top 50 in the magazine's 2019 edition of "America's Best Graduate Schools." The National Jurist ranks Baylor Law as one of the "Best School for Practical Training," and in the top 15 "Best Law School Facilities" in the country. The Business Insider places Baylor Law among the top 50 law schools in the nation. Baylor Law received the 2015 American Bar Association Pro Bono Publico Award, making it only the third law school in the nation to be honored with the award since the award's inception in 1984. Learn more at baylor.edu/law
ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY
Baylor University is a private Christian University and a nationally ranked research institution. The University provides a vibrant campus community for more than 20,000 students by blending interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating University in Texas. Located in Waco, Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 90 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 12 nationally recognized academic divisions. Learn more at baylor.edu
