March 10, 2008

Service To Soldiers Receives Michigan State Bar Foundation Grant

A program offering free legal services to Michigan servicemen and women has received an $11,350 grant from the Michigan State Bar Foundation.

Service to Soldiers: Legal Assistance Referral Program, a pro-bono service organized by the Thomas M. Cooley Law School, has served more than 200 servicemen and women since it began in April 2007. The program has evolved from servicing military personnel in Lansing to individuals in Grand Rapids, Traverse City and Saginaw, with grant funds used to expand program support, including the purchase of computer equipment.

"Servicemen and women are faced with two major challenges – abrupt deployment and being thousands of miles away from home and unable to respond to matters that can become litigious,” said Heather Spielmaker, coordinator of Cooley’s Center for Ethics, Service, and Professionalism. "This program helps give back to those people who have given so much for all of us."

Service to Soldiers: Legal Assistance Referral Program offers one-on-one consultations between Cooley professors and military personnel to discuss non-military legal issues. Should legal services be needed, the Cooley professor matches the client with a local attorney – mostly from a network of over 60 Cooley graduates who are volunteering their time to help these soldiers. The selected attorneys provide counsel concerning all aspects of a legal issue, including possible representation in court, all free of charge.

According to Spielmaker, the most sought-after legal advice pertains to family issues, creditor issues and employment matters. Attorneys interested in becoming a part of Service to Soldiers should contact Spielmaker at (517) 371-5140, ext. 4112.

Celebrating its 35th anniversary this year, Cooley Law School is the largest law school in the country. Founded in 1972, it operates J.D. programs in Michigan's capital city in Lansing, in suburban Oakland County, and in downtown Grand Rapids.  Today, Cooley Law School has more than 12,000 graduates across the nation and worldwide and also offers joint degree and Master of Laws programs. Cooley offers enrollment three times a year; in January, May and September. Additional information about Cooley can be found at www.cooley.edu.