Free legal advice available for military vets

LYNN – Massachusetts is home to an estimated 500,000 military veterans and free legal advice is available for those who need it.The Massachusetts Bar Association (MBA) is offering a supplement to its monthly Dial-a-Lawyer programs n a session dedicated solely to veterans’ legal questions.The free program will be held Wednesday, April 9, from 5:50-8:30 p.m.MBA Executive Director Marilyn J. Wellington said the legal needs of military veterans are extensive and diverse. “We’re lucky to have a talent group of committed attorneys to provide complimentary legal advice to veterans across the commonwealth,” she said.Thousands of veterans, especially those returning from the battlefronts in Iraq and Afghanistan, have pressing legal questions concerning benefits, divorce, child support, employment, and landlord-tenant issues.”Many men an women who return home from serving our country in the U.S. military have complex or unique legal issues that require professional assistance,” said Thomas Kelley, secretary of the state Department of Veterans’ Services. “These issues include access to their earned benefits, employment questions, personal finance problems and other matters. For many veterans, the costs associated with hiring a lawyer to answer their questions are not feasible.”The Dial-a-Lawyer phone number is 617-338-0610. Callers who get a busy signal are urged to hang up and try again. The listed phone number will be operational only during the three-hour session on April 9. The program is provided free as a public service of the MBA.The participating attorneys attended a training last fall sponsored by the MBA and U.S. Trust, Bank of America Private Wealth Management. Ronald B. Abrams and Louis J. George, both of the National Veterans Legal Service Program in Washington, D.C., led the training.