Legal Community Now Providing Essential Life Planning Documents to NYC Healthcare Workers Free of Charge
Volunteer Attorneys Will Draft Wills, Powers of Attorney, Medical Advance Directives, and Control of Remains Forms for Frontline Heroes Risking Lives
NEW YORK – Today, the COVID-19 Frontline & Healthcare Workers Initiative was launched in New York City to serve those working in healthcare settings during the public health crisis, providing them with pro bono guidance and help filling out any essential life planning documents due to the increased risk in their professions. The initiative is a project of Volunteers of Legal Service (VOLS), in partnership with the Lawyers for Good Government Foundation, DC37 Municipal Employees Legal Services, Kirkland & Ellis LLP, and 18 partner law firms and corporations.
APPLY FOR LEGAL ASSISTANCE FROM THE COVID-19 FRONTLINE & HEALTHCARE WORKERS INITIATIVE HERE: https://volsprobono.org/projects/frontlineworkers
Qualifying applicants will be offered free phone or virtual consultations with volunteer pro bono attorneys who can assist with simple wills, powers of attorney, medical advance directives, and control of remains forms. These documents will allow clients to protect their legal, financial, and healthcare decisions at a time when, as a result of their ongoing service to their communities, they are more vulnerable than ever to incapacity and death.
At this time, any New York State residents working in New York City as healthcare workers on the frontlines are invited to submit an application to receive the free legal service. All frontline employees, or ”essential workers,” that do not work in the healthcare industry, are encouraged to check back soon as the program expands its services to serve non-healthcare frontline employees.“We are both humbled and honored to be able to provide free legal services to these frontline healthcare workers who are putting their health and lives on the line. We believe that by providing them with life planning services, we will empower them to protect their legal, financial, and healthcare decisions and provide peace of mind,” says Marcia Levy, VOLS Executive Director.
“Thousands of healthcare workers have risked their lives on the frontlines of this pandemic to protect and serve their fellow New Yorkers. The least we can do is provide them, and their families, with peace of mind that they will be taken care of in the event of a tragedy caused by their work’s proximity to the virus. We are grateful for the opportunity to partner on this initiative to provide pro bono legal resources and want to thank our selfless healthcare workers for their heroic sacrifice to ensure public health and safety,” said Lawyers for Good Government’s executive director Traci Feit Love.
If you are interested in learning more about the COVID-19 Frontline & Healthcare Workers Initiative, I’d be happy to help connect you with any of the partners to discuss more.
For 35 years, Volunteers of Legal Service (VOLS) has provided free, civil legal services to low-income New Yorkers including seniors, veterans, unemployed workers, immigrant youth, children and their families, mothers in prison or jail, small business owners, and now including COVID-19 frontline and healthcare workers.
VOLS was originally founded in 1984 by NYC Bar Association leaders to fill a void left by severe federal cuts to legal services. Since then, we have nimbly responded to emerging public crises such as the 1980s HIV/AIDS epidemic or the 2008 financial recession. Our track record and trusted partnerships position VOLS to ably stand by vulnerable New Yorkers during the COVID-19 crisis and its aftermath in the weeks, months, and years ahead.