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Transcript of Sharon Thompson, Associate Vice-President, Dean, Liberal Studies Kathleen M. Smith, Chair,...
Wills for Heroes and
Service LearningSharon Thompson, Associate Vice-President, Dean, Liberal
StudiesKathleen M. Smith, Chair, Department of Social Science
David Freeman, Associate Professor, Social Science
Providing “real world” skills
The value of service
Community engagement
Service Learning
Locating Service Learning Opportunities Non-Profits, Community Organizations The Value of (Service-learning) Projects that
are “turn-key.”
Service Learning and Partnerships
What can your students actually do?
How much training might be necessary?
Availability of training resources?
What is a realistic time commitment for your students?
Can the skills they have be effective within the timeframe permitted?
Doing a Skills Assessment of Your Students
Willing to commit to a first step
Flexible enough to recognize the need for adjustments to accommodate service learning
An organized project model in place
Profile of a Service Learning Partner
Wills for Heroes
“Excellent! Everyone was a pleasure to work with and so helpful. A++ service. Thank you!!- Anonymous comment from client survey
Created following 9/11, this non-profit sought to address the need for first-responders to have end-of-life instructions for their survivors.
Wills for Heroes - Its History
To address the need for first responders to have estate planning documents.
Despite the inherently dangerous nature of their jobs, an overwhelmingly large number of first responders – approximately 80-90% do not have even simple wills.
Wills for Heroes - Its Purpose
Young Lawyer’s DivisionPennsylvania Bar Assoiation
http://www.pabar.org/public/yld/Projects/willsforheroesyld.asp
The program operates throughout the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
The Pennsylvania Bar Association, Young Lawyer’s Division hosts the Wills for Heroes/Pennsylvania site.
First Responders are pre-screened prior to the event
Screening diverts first responders whose financial circumstances are not a good match for the Wills for Heroes assistance.
Recruiting First Responders
First Responders complete an estate planning questionnaire.
This allows participants to think through and talk about a number of important decisions with their loved ones.
First Responder Questionnaire
Wills For Heroes Pennsylvania Estate Planning Questionnaire
Estate planning documents for each participating first responder are produced in about one hour.
http://www.pabar.org/public/yld/Projects/willsforheroesyld.asp
How a Wills for Heroes Day Works
An incentive for a volunteer attorney is the opportunity for obtaining Continuing Legal Education credits.
Training for Attorney and Paralegal
We obtained one credit of continuing legal education for the training session that precedes the event.
Once this credit was obtained, we offered the training free of charge.
Incentives for Volunteer Attorneys
The training session prior to meeting appointments is conducted by volunteer, experienced attorneys.
This training is on the site of the event, takes about one hour and provides an opportunity to evaluate the software program that will prepare the wills and other documents
Pre-Appointment Training
The software program, HotDocs, prepares the questionnaire that is used and creates the estate planning documents: Will, Medical Directive and Durable Power of Attorney.
Student volunteers are trained in the use of this software as part of their class in Legal Technology or at a separate session.
Software Training for Student Volunteer Paralegals
Upon arrival, First Responders are teamed with attorney and paralegal team, with appointments being scheduled each hour.
Hourly Appointments
Paralegal and attorney review the questionnaire and create a draft of the documents.
Creation of Draft Will
Following creation, volunteer “experts” review the draft with the clients.
Review
Following review, the final version of all the documents are created and clients are forwarded to a Notary station
Final Version
The Notary Station is the point at which the clients and witnesses execute their documents.
Following execution, all documents notarized and clients leave with a fully-executed package of documents.
Notary Station
In an effort to evaluate the experience of our students, a survey was crafted and administered through the website, Survey Monkey.
Sample Questions:
1. What if any did you learn from this service-learning project about technology or wills?
2. What if any did you learn about working with clients and attorneys?
Student Assessment
Reinforced the value of skills learned
Value of service learning to reinforce the usefulness of skills. “I was use to just typing out a will and not really sure
what everything meant. The hot docs program allows you to see the breakdown of the formation provided by the client and how it becomes a legal document.”
“I felt very comfortable working with the clients and it was an enjoyable experience. I would like to continue to volunteer in the future.”
Student Assessment Responses