OCEAN CITY, NJ — About 60 Cape May County veterans and their spouses received free legal services Thursday through a new program called Wills for Warriors, introduced at the Ocean City American Legion Morvay-Miley-Cruice Post 524.
Cape May County Surrogate Judge E. Marie Hayes and the Surrogate’s Office launched the effort in partnership with the New Jersey State Bar Association, the Cape May County Bar Association and the Citizen/Veterans Advisory Committee. More than 20 attorneys donated their time to prepare wills, powers of attorney and health care directives at no charge for the veterans who attended.
According to the county, attorneys from several firms and communities took part. King Barnes provided several attorneys and two law interns. Shoreside Legal also participated, along with local attorneys from Ocean City, Sea Isle City and the Wildwoods.
Hayes brought the concept to Cape May County after attending the Firefighters Convention in Atlantic City, where she saw a similar program for first responders. Based on what she observed there and the county’s veteran population, she organized a working group that included the Surrogate, the president of the Cape May County Bar Association, the New Jersey Bar Association, veterans, attorneys and paralegals.
Recent Census data estimates that about 5,400 veterans live in Cape May County. The county said that local population helped drive the effort to create a program focused on estate planning and related legal documents for veterans and their families.
“Veterans have risked everything in life to give us the freedoms we have today,” said Hayes. “In Cape May County, we don’t just say we appreciate our veterans, we show it with actions. To that point, I personally want to thank the tremendous support we received from the legal community and volunteers to allow so many veterans to be served today.”
Hayes also thanked the City of Ocean City and Mayor Jay Gillian for their assistance, and the Ocean City American Legion Morvay-Miley-Cruice Post 524 for hosting the event.
Following the turnout, the Surrogate’s Office is considering future events that would expand the effort to help veterans and first responders, according to a press release.
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