AG’s office to hold veterans clinic for the first time in Western Washington

OLYMPIA — The Attorney General’s Office will offer a free legal clinic Tuesday August 27th for Tacoma-area military service members and veterans in need of legal help with basic will preparation, driver’s license restoration, small claims assistance and select family law issues.

Attorney General Bob Ferguson’s Office of Military & Veteran Legal Assistance (OMVLA) is collaborating with volunteer attorneys and community partners to offer the clinic from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday at VFW Post 969, 3510 McKinley Ave, Tacoma, WA 98404. This is the first OMVLA clinic held in Western Washington.

Legal clinic services will be offered by appointment only and capacity is limited. Potential clinic clients and attorneys interested in volunteering can get registration information for the event by calling 206-464-6431 or by emailing Assistant Attorney General Travis Alley at travisa@atg.wa.gov.

“Veterans and military service members deserve our respect, appreciation and support,” Ferguson said. “This clinic will be the first of several my office is organizing in the Puget Sound region catering specifically to the military and veteran population. As someone with a long family history of military service, I am committed to supporting those who have served our country.”

To qualify for services at the free legal clinic, military service members and veterans must live or be stationed in Washington, and meet certain financial eligibility requirements. More information about the clinic and other legal resources is available here.

OMVLA was created by Attorney General request legislation in the 2017 session to promote and facilitate access to civil legal services for Washington’s current and former military service members.

Representative Christine Kilduff (D-University Place) sponsored the legislation. OMVLA is authorized to recruit and train volunteer attorneys, maintain a registry of available services and volunteers, assess requests for legal assistance and refer such requests to registered volunteer attorneys and legal aid providers.

The legal clinic is part of Attorney General Ferguson’s Military & Veterans Initiative, an ongoing effort to stand up for Washington’s military service members and veterans. It involves engaging and educating military service members and veterans about their rights and available resources, vigorously enforcing legal protections within the Attorney General’s authority, and promoting and facilitating access to civil legal services.

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The Office of the Attorney General is the chief legal office for the state of Washington with attorneys and staff in 27 divisions across the state providing legal services to roughly 200 state agencies, boards and commissions. Visit www.atg.wa.gov to learn more.