Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve

Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) is a Department of Defense agency that seeks to promote a culture in which all American employers support and value the military service of their employees. ESGR needs volunteers for a variety of positions. To learn more about ESGR, visit www.esgr.com.

Medicare Resources

Medicare Plans Patient Resource Center offers information about Medicare enrollment, the different parts of Medicare, what is and isn't covered by Medicare, cost, and enrollment here.

Veterans Business Outreach Center

The MSBA has partnered with the Veterans Business Outreach Center (VBOC) to provide an avenue for matching entrepreneurial veterans with attorneys as they navigate the development and growth of a small business. Services include business training, counseling, and resource partner referrals to transitioning service members, veterans, National Guard & Reserve members, and military spouses interested in starting or growing a small business.

VBOC hires consultants to meet with clients where appropriate to discuss their specific need within the consultant's expertise. They appreciate any consultant with legal expertise in a variety of areas including finance, business, real estate, tax, and labor. They typically pay these consultants $85.00 per hour, and can accept any difference or consider any deviation from the normal hourly rate charged by the consultant or from a traditional rate as an in-kind donation to the organization. 

The MSBA's Lawyer Referral Service is also supporting this program by offering free referrals to attorneys when requested by the VBOC. In some cases, attorneys will also provide services pro bono or at reduced rates. To learn more about the Lawyer Referral Service, go here.

Getting Involved with VBOC
For more information about VBOC, please visit www.VBOCNewEngland.org. If you have interest in this opportunity, please contact Holly Aker (program manager for VBOC of New England) at haker@cweonline.org or 1-844-404-2172.

Veterans Legal Services Initiative

The Veterans Legal Services Initiative (VLSI) is a partnership between the MSBA, the MSBA Veterans’ Law Section, and Pine Tree Legal Assistance. The goal of VLSI is to educate Maine attorneys on the civil legal needs, many of which can be health-harming, of Maine veterans and to provide training and pro bono opportunities to help bridge the justice gap for veterans in Maine.

The pro bono opportunities listed below are coordinated by VLSI partner, Pine Tree Legal Assistance. Pine Tree provides malpractice insurance, training, support for pro bono attorneys and tracks pro bono credit hours. Examples of training opportunities include online webinars and Veterans’ Law Section CLE trainings in partnership with the MSBA.

These opportunities are designed to meet the needs of Maine veterans while also providing time-limited and discrete opportunities for pro bono attorneys to get involved.

Wills for Heroes
The pro bono Wills for Heroes program offers free legal services for veterans and their spouses to receive simple wills, advance healthcare directives, and powers of attorney. Participating pro bono attorneys receive a free, 2-hour CLE training (offered live or on demand), which covers an overview of wills, advance directives, financial powers of attorney, and template forms. Once pro bono attorneys complete the training, they join a panel of volunteers willing to consider individual case referrals to assist low- to moderate-income veterans and their spouses with basic estate planning documents. Volunteers who are new to estate planning may request attorney mentorship through the program.

Extended Representation Cases
Pine Tree partners with VA Maine Healthcare System on the Veterans Medical-Legal Partnership to provide legal assistance to low-income veterans with health-harming civil legal needs, like housing or income issues. Pine Tree is always seeking pro bono assistance for veterans referred to the Veterans Medical-Legal Partnership from their doctor, nurse or social worker for help with various health-harming legal needs. To learn more about this model, please visit the National Center for Medical-Legal Partnership.

Getting Involved with VLSI
If you are interested in learning more about VLSI’s training or pro bono opportunities, please contact Shannon Karam, PTLA Pro Bono Director, at skaram@ptla.org. 

If you are interested in joining the MSBA Veterans’ Law Section, please go here. Read about the Veterans' Law Section here. You must be a member of the Maine State Bar Association to join a section.

For more information on becoming VA accredited, please visit the VA’s Office of General Counsel’s website.