With Pro Bono Attorney’s Help, Sailor Avoids Foreclosure
For many years, a Navy servicemember gave her mother money each month so that her mother could pay the mortgage for the home they lived in together. However, the sailor then learned that her mother had not been making the mortgage payments as promised, and the house was being foreclosed on. The sailor was concerned that this could impact her security clearance and/or her upcoming retirement. The sailor visited a military legal assistance office for help, and her JAG referred her case to the ABA Military Pro Bono Project. The Project connected the sailor with a local pro bono attorney. The attorney advocated for the sailor and was able to avoid foreclosure, protecting the sailor’s security clearance and ensuring a smooth retirement from the military.
A Navy servicemember was experiencing domestic violence at the hands of her husband. He returned to his home country, and she wanted to pursue a divorce, but was fearful that he would return to the country to continue the abuse once he learned she filed against him. The sailor visited a legal assistance attorney for help, and she was matched with a local family law attorney through the ABA Military Pro Bono Project. With her pro bono attorney’s help, a divorce decree was entered in the sailor’s favor, allowing her to get out of the abusive relationship and move on with her life.
Pro Bono Attorney Creates Special Needs Trust for Soldier’s Son
An Army servicemember’s unit was on the Global Reaction Force, meaning he could receive 72-hour notice to deploy at any time. Because of this, he wanted to set up a trust for his son with special needs so that he would be taken care of if something happened to the soldier. The soldier visited a local military legal assistance attorney for help, and he was paired with a local estate planning attorney through the ABA Military Pro Bono Project. The pro bono attorney created a special needs trust for the soldier’s son, providing peace of mind to the soldier and his family.
Due to an administrative error by the Defense Finance and Accounting Services (DFAS), an Air National Guard member was significantly overpaid. She self-reported the error. This created a debt with DFAS, which she paid back. Despite using a corrected W-2 for her tax filing for that year, the IRS did not provide her expected full tax refund, claiming that she did not have sufficient evidence of the overpayment. Struggling to get this corrected, the servicemember visited a military legal assistance attorney for help, which referred her case to the ABA Military Pro Bono Project.
The servicemember was connected to an attorney specializing in tax law. The attorney communicated with DFAS to ensure the debt was repaid properly. The attorney also prepared the servicemember’s tax return, ensuring that she received the proper tax refund.
A young Navy servicemember purchased a car from a dealership. The dealership exercised a number of deceptive practices. When the servicemember purchased the vehicle, she was not provided copies of any paperwork, and the vehicle broke down within hours. She returned the vehicle under an agreement that she purchase another vehicle at a higher price. This new vehicle also had immediate problems.
The sailor visited a military legal assistance office, and her JAG referred her to the ABA Military Pro Bono Project. The Project connected her with an attorney in her area. The volunteer attorney negotiated with the car dealership and obtained a favorable payout for the sailor.
Sailor Granted Custody of Child After Mother’s Incarceration
A Navy servicemember had a young child that was the result of a non-marital relationship. He learned that his child’s mother had been incarcerated, and was expected to be in prison for many years. The child was in the care of her grandmother, but the sailor wanted to seek full custody of his child. He visited a legal assistance office for help, and his case was referred to the ABA Military Pro Bono Project.
The ABA Military Pro Bono Project connected the sailor with a local pro bono attorney. The volunteer attorney spent hundreds of hours advocating for the sailor and the child. With the attorney’s help, the grandmother’s guardianship was terminated, and a custody order was entered in the sailor’s favor.
Solider Receives Monetary Compensation After Car Dealer Misrepresented State of New Car
An Army servicemember purchased a car and had it shipped to the state where he lived. Upon arrival, the car’s check engine light was on, and upon further inspection, it was discovered that several aftermarket modifications had been made to the vehicle that were not advertised in the sale.
The soldier sought assistance from a JAG, and his case was referred to the ABA Military Pro Bono Project, which then connected the soldier with a pro bono attorney.
The pro bono attorney worked with the soldier to have his new car sent back to the dealership. Thanks to the attorney’s advocacy on the soldier’s behalf, he was also compensated for money spent on the vehicle.
Thanks to Volunteer Attorney’s Quick Work, Sailor’s Child Allowed to Accompany Him on Orders Overseas
An active-duty sailor had a son who lived with him full-time due to the biological mother’s substance abuse and history of incarceration. Despite this, the mother sought child support from the sailor in court. The sailor also received military orders to relocate overseas during this time. In addition to challenging the child support action, he wanted to modify his existing custody order to allow him to bring his son abroad, but the move was coming up very quickly.
The servicemember visited a legal assistance attorney, who referred his case to the ABA Military Pro Bono Project so that he could be connected with a local attorney. The volunteer attorney worked quickly to have the child support case dismissed. With the sailor’s relocation fast approaching, the pro bono attorney filed for an expedited Temporary Relocation Hearing, which was granted. This allowed the sailor and his son to relocate without any delays. Shortly thereafter, the attorney was also able to get an updated custody order, so that the boy could stay with his father long term.
Coast Guardsman Receives Favorable Settlement From Car Dealership Thanks to Volunteer Attorney
A Coast Guardsman purchased a used vehicle from a car dealership. Shortly after the purchase, the Coast Guardsman started experiencing problems with the car, and upon taking the car to an auto shop, discovered that the car required thousands of dollars of repairs. He also discovered that the dealership provided him a loan of several thousand dollars more than what he had agreed.
The Coast Guardsman visited a military legal assistance attorney for help, and the JAG referred his case to the ABA Military Pro Bono Project. The program connected him with a local attorney. With the pro bono attorney’s help, the Coast Guardsman received a favorable settlement from the car dealership.
Solider Stationed Overseas Receives Divorce Judgment with Volunteer Attorney’s Help
An Army servicemember was stationed abroad with her children and wanted to seek a divorce from her husband. Since she was stationed overseas, there were jurisdictional concerns and the soldier sought advice and assistance from a JAG. The soldier’s legal assistance attorney referred her case to the ABA Military Pro Bono Project, which then connected her with a pro bono attorney in her home state. The attorney was able to obtain a divorce judgment and child support on behalf of the solider.
ABA Military Pro Bono Project 