WTVM Legal Break – Wills for Heroes

Injury & Accident Attorney Serving Nearby Areas of Columbus & Fort Benning, Georgia and Phenix City, Alabama

This week on Legal Break, Gary informs us on wills and why it is important for you to have one. Gary also discusses the Wills for Heroes event that took place in May 2017, where members of the Young Lawyers Division came together to prepare documents for first responders at no cost. In the event that a person passes away without a will, each state has a way of distributing that person’s property to their family members.

By having a will you can dictate what you would like to happen with your property. Having an Advance Directive of Healthcare and a Financial Power of Attorney takes a lot of stress off of your family members when the time comes for them to make those difficult decisions on your behalf. If you have questions about these documents please do not hesitate to call our office. While we do not handle wills specifically, we are always happy to help you find the answers you need.

Transcript:

Maureen: Hello there, and welcome to Legal Break. I’m Maureen Akers, and with me today is Gary Bruce as always, thank you so much for joining us, Gary.

Gary: Thank you, good to be here.

Maureen: We’re talking about wills today does everybody, Gary, need a will, even if they don’t have what they call maybe, a lot of property to their name or possession?

Gary: Good question. Do you need one? No. The state will direct how things are divided, how things are distributed, and what happens when you pass. Is it best to have one? Yes. I would encourage everybody, whether you are wealthy, or have property, or not, it helps your family know what to do. It gives them some direction, it gives them an understanding of what your desires were, and you can direct things to happen that otherwise, the state is going to take control of. So, I think it’s important not only just for the will, but for the advanced healthcare directives, powers of attorney, there’s reasons to have these documents. It really takes pressure off your family, you know when big decisions have to be made.

Maureen: It just makes a little easier. So you’re involved with a very special event, tell us a little bit about that: Wills for Heroes.

Gary: Some of the lawyers in my office are, but I’m not really involved. However, I do want to promote it, it’s a great thing, Will’s for Heroes. The young lawyer’s division here in town, the State Bar of Georgia, and the State Bar of Alabama, and the local bar association of Muskogee in Russell County are all getting together May 13th at Troy University to do wills, advance health care directives, and powers of attorneys for our first responders. Firefighters, police officers, sheriff’s deputies, Sheriff’s, people in these departments are welcome to come. There will be more information about it, but I think it’s a great opportunity for the lawyers in the community to serve, and also to provide something meaningful to our first responders.

Maureen: Oh absolutely, and as we just talked about, if you don’t already have a will and you’ve been thinking about it, this is a great time to do that if you’re a first responder.

Gary: Absolutely, you know, we want everyone to come who is eligible to that program. But I would encourage you; I think your first question is a good one. Look, these are important things to do. And it helps your family; it’s not really about you that point, you know. But people have to make hard decisions, and when you have those documents it makes it a lot easier, and a lot more peace of mind. It’s not expensive, and it’s not something I really do, but there’s plenty of people in town who do, and I would encourage people to get that taken care of.

Maureen: So remind us again where the Wills for heroes takes place?

Gary: Right, first responders Saturday morning, May 13th at the Troy State Campus, on the river in Phoenix City.

Maureen: Thank you so much for joining us on this edition of Legal Break, Gary, and I look forward to seeing you on the very next one. Thank you very much.