This article was originally published in the Hamilton County Herald.
Nearly 50 first responders took advantage of Saturday’s Wills for Heroes program, which provided free wills and other estate planning documents to emergency personnel employed within Hamilton County.
The annual event was held at Chambliss, Bahner & Stophel, and was sponsored by the Tennessee Bar Association Young Lawyers Division (TBA-YLD) and the national Wills for Heroes Foundation. Roughly 30 attorneys from Chambliss and other local firms volunteered to provide estate planning services to local heroes.
“This event was a convenient opportunity for members of our office,” said Hamilton County Sheriff Jim Hammond. “The attorneys were extremely knowledgeable and helpful, and these first responders can now go to work every day knowing their families will be taken care of if they don’t make it home.”
The Wills for Heroes program has been the primary public service project of the TBA-YLD since 2008.
“Obtaining a will might not be at the top of someone’s to-do list for many reasons, but it truly is invaluable to individuals and their loved ones,” said Alex McVeagh, TBA-YLD Hamilton County representative and Chambliss attorney. “Our area’s heroes and their families are walking away with a free will and peace of mind.”
To date, the Wills for Heroes program has benefited nearly 3,000 first responders and their families in Tennessee, and hundreds of attorneys have volunteered their time.
Matt Brock, a Chattanooga criminal defense attorney and the TBA-YLD Wills for Heroes East Tennessee representative, said, “It was humbling to be able to service so many first responders. We appreciate all of the local Hamilton County attorneys who volunteered their time for this great event.”
Additional Wills for Heroes clinics are taking place in East Tennessee throughout the coming months. Interested first responders should visit www.tba.org/programs/wills-for-heroes for more information.