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In-Person Veterans Clinic Held in Caldwell County

BY LESLIE SPATOLA

With the invaluable assistance of Dr. Al Dos Santos, the Veterans Service Officer of Caldwell County, and Hoppy Haden, the Caldwell County Judge, the Austin Bar Foundation’s Veterans Legal Advice Program was able to hold its first in-person clinic in 25 months! The clinic had outstanding attendance from members of the Austin Bar Association (including Wayne Cavalier, Robert Meisel, Anthony Blazi, and Jami Hale) and received valuable assistance from Lawyer Referral Services of Central Texas’s Executive Director Annie Melendez; Texas RioGrande Legal Aid’s Robert Garza; and Texas Legal Services Center’s Kevin Dietz, Julian Honor, and Cecile Collins. The attorneys were able to provide advice to veterans to their legal questions involving eviction, divorce, probate, and deceptive trade practice/consumer protection.

The volunteers of this program know the significance of having access to reliable legal advice without the burden of finding the financial means to pay for legal services, which has provided many individuals peace of mind.

Members of the Austin Bar Association recognized a growing population of veterans in the Central Texas area who did not have access to legal advice or services when faced with a legal issue due to limited income. Thus, the Austin Bar Foundation established the Veterans Legal Assistance Program with the mission to organize and provide free legal advice clinics for qualified, low-income veterans, active-duty service members, and their families who reside in or have a civil legal issue in the jurisdictional areas of Bastrop, Blanco, Burnett, Caldwell, Gillespie, Hays, Travis, and Williamson counties. Our program has been able to provide advice and pro bono services to hundreds of individual veterans and their families with legal issues such as estate planning advice and tools, aid in applying for disability claims, military discharge upgrades, financial assistance, and much more. The volunteers of this program know the significance of having access to reliable legal advice without the burden of finding the financial means to pay for legal services, which has provided many individuals peace of mind. Over the years, we have had noteworthy working relationships with other legal aid providers in Central Texas—all with the common goal of helping indigent Texas veterans. AL

Leslie Spatola works with the Austin Bar Foundation’s Veterans Legal Assistance Program as the part-time Project Coordinator. Prior to this position, the 2008 graduate of Stephen F. Austin State University worked for the Nacogdoches County Attorney’s Office, the Upshur County District Attorney’s Office, and the 420th Judicial District Court.