Wills for Heroes and Service Learning

1. Wills for Heroes and Service Learning Sharon Thompson, Associate Vice-President, Dean, Liberal Studies Kathleen M. Smith, Chair, Department of Social Science David Freeman, Associate Professor, Social Science

2. Service Learning • Community engagement • Providing “real world” skills • The value of service

3. Service Learning and Partnerships • Locating Service Learning Opportunities • Non-Profits, Community Organizations • The Value of (Service-learning) Projects that are “turn-key.”

4. Doing a Skills Assessment of Your Students • 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?

5. Profile of a Service Learning Partner • 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

6. Wills for Heroes • “Excellent! Everyone was a pleasure to work with and so helpful. A++ service. Thank you!! • Anonymous comment from client survey

7. Wills for Heroes - Its History • Created following 9/11, this non-profit sought to address the need for first-responders to have end-of-life instructions for their survivors.

8. Wills for Heroes - Its Purpose • 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.

9. Young Lawyer’s DivisionPennsylvania Bar Assoiation • The program operates throughout the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. • The Pennsylvania Bar Association, Young Lawyer’s Division hosts the Wills for Heroes/Pennsylvania site. http://www.pabar.org/public/yld/Projects/willsforheroesyld.asp

10. Recruiting First Responders • 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.

11. First Responder Questionnaire • 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. Wills For Heroes Pennsylvania Estate Planning Questionnaire

12. How a Wills for Heroes Day Works • Estate planning documents for each participating first responder are produced in about one hour. • http://www.pabar.org/public/yld/Projects/willsforheroesyld.asp

13. Training for Attorney and Paralegal • An incentive for a volunteer attorney is the opportunity for obtaining Continuing Legal Education credits.

14. Incentives for Volunteer Attorneys • 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.

15. Pre-Appointment Training • 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

16. Software Training for Student Volunteer Paralegals • 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.

17. Hourly Appointments • Upon arrival, First Responders are teamed with attorney and paralegal team, with appointments being scheduled each hour.

18. Creation of Draft Will • Paralegal and attorney review the questionnaire and create a draft of the documents.

19. Review • Following creation, volunteer “experts” review the draft with the clients.

20. Final Version • Following review, the final version of all the documents are created and clients are forwarded to a Notary station

21. Notary Station • 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.

22. Student Assessment • In an effort to evaluate the experience of our students, a survey was crafted and administered through the website, Survey Monkey. • Sample Questions: • What if any did you learn from this service-learning project about technology or wills? • What if any did you learn about working with clients and attorneys?

23. Student Assessment Responses • 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.”