Free will prep events for vets, first responders, healthcare workers
Published 1:00 pm Sunday, January 29, 2023
- METRO IMAGE Will preparation
Two upcoming events will provide opportunities for first responders, veterans, active service members or healthcare workers to have a will prepared at no cost to them.
On Monday, Feb. 20, Wills for Heroes will be at The Mississippi Bar Center, 643 North State St., Jackson, from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. Sponsored by The Mississippi Bar Leadership Class of 2023, the three-hour event is for anyone in the mentioned categories. For more information, contact Jonathan Barnes at jbarnes@bradley.com.
The next event is Saturday, Feb. 25, at the Mississippi Law Enforcement Officer Training Academy, and is for first responders and their spouses only. The academy is at 3791 MS Hwy. 468, Pearl.
Sponsored by Wills for Magnolia State First Responders, the event is from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m., and requires pre-registration. The deadline to sign up is Feb. 11, at https://wffrmsfebruary2023.eventbrite.com.
“They have to sign up ahead of time — that’s very important,” said Kristy Hogan, of WFFRS. “They have to sign up and return the form online. That will make the process go way faster for them. They must be a Mississippi resident.”
Responders and spouses will check in at their allotted time and meet with a paralegal to go over an initial questionnaire. Documents will then be drafted online by a paralegal and reviewed by an attorney. The attorney will then meet with each person privately to go over their documents, which will be signed, witnessed and notarized on-site.
The documents received by the first responder and spouse will be a basic will and an advanced healthcare directive. The basic will allows the person to designate how they want assets distributed, to name an executor of the will, and designate guardians for minor children, if applicable. The advanced healthcare directive allows the person to designate an individual to make medical decisions on their behalf in the event they are unable to do so on their own.
“They will need the form that I will email them once they sign up, and a picture ID,” Hogan said. “Our goal is to get them in and out within an hour.”
For more information, contact Hogan at info@wffrms.com or call 601-519-0334.