Are We Taking The Sex Offender Label Too Far? - Rhode Island Bar ...

Rhode Island National Guard General
Praises Bar’s Volunteer US Armed
Forces Legal Service Project
(l-r): Bar President William J. Delaney; Lieutenant Colonel Vivian Caruolo; Bar Public Services
Director Susan Fontaine; Past Bar President Victoria M. Almeida, and Major General Kevin
R. McBride.
Major General Kevin R. McBride, Adjutant
General and Commanding General of the
Rhode Island National Guard and Lieutenant
Colonel Vivian Caruolo, Staff Judge Advocate
of the Rhode Island National Guard came to
the Rhode Island Bar Association’s September
House of Delegates meeting to thank the Bar
for its excellent volunteer member and Bar staff
efforts on behalf of those serving in the military
and their families.
The Rhode Island Bar Association’s unique
United States Armed Forces Legal Services
Project (Project), initiated
by Past Rhode Island Bar
Association President Victoria
M. Almeida, launched in late
2009, and directly administered
by the Rhode Island Bar’s
Public Services Department is
specifically designed to provide
a wide range of civil law legal
services and assistance to those
serving in the military and their
families. Qualifying individuals
include: active and reserve
military personnel; reserve
component members undergoing
pre-mobilization legal
Resolving legal issues before
heading into harm’s way
provides soldiers with peace
of mind so they can focus
on what they have to do to
come home safe. Similarly,
the services you provide to
our troops at home lifts a
burden…Keep doing what
you are doing. It means so
much to us.
CAPTAIN MICHAEL P. JOLIN
preparation; veterans (including those receiving
disability); and family members and surviving
family of the aforementioned groups. There are
no income limitations for legal assistance. However,
requests for help are primarily received
from personnel whose income would qualify
for pro bono or reduced fee representation.
Requests are received from all branches of the
military including the Rhode Island National
Guard and the United States Army, Navy,
Marines, Air Force, Coast Guard, and war
veterans.
Participating volunteer attorneys are recruited
through: all-member email appeals; Rhode
Island Bar Journal articles with corresponding
sign-up invitations; through the Bar’s website’s
Members Only section; during the Bar’s Annual
Meeting; and through related Bar Continuing
Legal Education (CLE) workshops and programming.
Many participating volunteer attorneys
are affiliated with the military either through
their previous service or that of a family
member.
Coordinated with the Attorney-Advisor at
the Office of the Staff Judge Advocate, volunteer
attorneys directly represent military personnel,
accepting civil law cases including family
law, probate issues, landlord/tenant, real estate,
contracts, consumer, bankruptcy, collections,
employment, immigration/naturalization, and
income tax. Direct referrals are received, and
cases are also referred through, the Judge
Advocate General, recruiting
offices, the local United States
Veterans Administration, the
Rhode Island Veterans, Home,
Rhode Island social service
agencies, and the Rhode Island
Homeless Legal Clinic.
With the first case placed
on August 18, 2009, the
Project currently has over
80 participating volunteer
attorneys, and over 200 cases
placed in areas including:
veterans’ benefits; consumer
issues; family law; probate;
real estate; and other legal
Rhode Island Bar Journal November/December 2011 11