NEW YORK, Sept 7 (Reuters) - In an effort to address the legal needs of veterans and active military personnel, the New York State Bar Association on Wednesday announced the creation of a Special Committee on Veterans.
The committee is charged with finding ways to expand critical legal assistance to veterans around the state, said the association's president, Vincent Doyle III, for whom the issue has been a top priority since he assumed his role in June.
Veterans and military personnel "should be treated fairly by the legal system, and not suffer as a result of their service," said Doyle, a partner with Connors & Vilardo in Buffalo.
"Sadly, too many come home from war with myriad problems that seem insurmountable. Some fear that a request for help could be seen as a sign of weakness," Doyle said. "They may even hesitate to seek legal assistance for something as simple as accessing entitlements like military benefits."
Among the goals of the committee -- which began meeting in June -- are expanding the availability of civil legal services, developing a model training program for lawyers on veterans' issues and creating a legal resource guide for veterans and attorneys.
The committee's full report and recommendations are expected in April 2012.
Doyle said the committee will design specialized training for lawyers interested in assisting veterans, to address issues such as understanding military culture and what federal benefits are available. Doyle said he hoped to be able to offer the training to lawyers in exchange for their pro bono services.
John Rowan, president of Vietnam Veterans of America, said training lawyers is especially important in cases involving veterans.
"They need to train them not only on the law, but they need to train them on how to deal with veterans and they need to train them on post-traumatic stress disorder," he said. "They need to know how to talk with their clients."
Pro bono assistance is also necessary for those in military service, Rowan said. "Most of them aren't coming home to jobs on Wall Street."
(Reporting by Jennifer Golson)
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