Office of Military Legal Assistance Creates First of its Kind Partnership with Nevada

Nevada Attorney General Adam Paul Laxalt announced his Office of Military Legal Assistance’s partnership with the Reno and Las Vegas VA Medical Centers to host free resource fairs. The fairs are an opportunity for Nevada active duty military, guard and veterans to receive access to free legal assistance and medical care. Free legal assistance will be provided by volunteer Office of Military Legal Assistance attorneys and affiliate legal partners, including Nevada Legal Services, Washoe Legal Services, the Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada, the Southern Nevada Senior Law Program and Nevada Disability Advocacy and Law Center. Collectively, legal and medical experts will be available to discuss family law, bankruptcy, landlord/tenant, public benefits, consumer law/protection, veteran benefits, wills/powers of attorney, mental health, health care and suicide prevention. Resource fairs will begin on January 19^th and 20^th at the Reno VA Medical Center, and will be held once every quarter at both the Reno and Las Vegas VA Medical Centers to ensure Nevada military families have continual access to critically needed legal and medical services.

In November, 2015, the Office of Military Legal Assistance @EASE Program was officially launched as the nation’s first attorney general-led, public-private partnership offering our military communities access to pro bono civil legal services. In practice, the program pairs military service members in need of legal assistance with pro bono private legal counsel for civil matters. The program also provides monthly workshops dedicated to drafting free wills and powers of attorney for Nevada veterans across the State. With more than 150 Nevada attorney volunteers, the program, in conjunction with its pro bono legal partners, is proud to have served over 2,800 Nevada service members and veterans.

“Serving in our military is both an honor and a sacrifice that countless Nevada families have made,” said Laxalt. “As a veteran of the Iraq war, I know firsthand the issues faced by our military communities, and hope this program will ensure that the sacrifices made by our service members and veterans are met with support and gratitude. My Office of Military Legal Assistance is proud to partner with the US. Department of Veterans Affairs to bring these needed resources to local VA Medical Centers, and hopes our military communities will take advantage of these free services.”