Program provided by the Young Lawyers Division of The Mississippi Bar

The Wills for Heroes program started shortly after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Since then, Wills for Heroes programs throughout the country have provided thousands of free estate planning documents for first responders.

Mississippi implemented its Wills for Heroes program in 2010. At a Wills for Heroes event, first responders are assigned to a volunteer attorney who reviews a questionnaire with the first responder and inputs the information from the questionnaire into laptops loaded with assembly software. The attorney reviews the draft estate planning documents with the first responder participant to ensure its accuracy and that the first responder understands and agrees with what he is executing. Once finalized, the documents are signed, witnessed and notarized in a formal signing ceremony at the event. On average, it takes about an hour to complete the estate planning documents, which include a Last Will and Testament, General Durable Power of Attorney and Advanced Healthcare Directive.

The first Wills for Heroes event was held in Mississippi in Hancock County on February 6, 2010. Local attorneys, in partnership with the Wills for Heroes Committee of The Mississippi Bar's Young Lawyers Division, donated their time to provide free estate planning services to the first responder community in Waveland, Mississippi. Since then, events have been held in Jackson, Oxford, Choctaw, Ridgeland, Fulton, Cleveland, Brandon, Pascagoula and Gulfport.  

To date, approximately 326 Mississippi fireman, police and emergency services personnel have obtained estate planning documents at Mississippi Wills for Heroes events. More events have been scheduled because of the positive experiences had by the attorney volunteers and first responders alike throughout the state.

For more information about the Wills for Heroes program, visit the Wills for Heroes Foundation website at http://www.willsforheroes.org/. Please contact Rene' Garner at rgarner@msbar.org to schedule a Wills for Heroes event.

2012-2013 Wills for Heroes Events

December 6, 2012 - Starkville

• Starkville Police Department 

December 11, 2012 - Meridian

• Lauderdale County Sheriff's Department 

December 18, 2012 - Hazlehurst

• Copiah County Volunteer Firefighters 

January 17, 2013 - Pascagoula

• Jackson County Sheriff's Department 

March 22, 2013 - Pearl

• Pearl Police Department

April 9, 2013 - Gulfport

• Harrison County Sheriff

2011-2012 Wills for Heroes Events                                                         
 
Sept. 22 - 23, 2011 - Ridgeland

• Ridgeland Police Department

January 27, 2012 - Biloxi

• Biloxi Police Department
• Biloxi Fire Department
• American Medical Response Department

March 5 - 6, 2012 - Tupelo

• Lee County EMS
• Volunteer Fire Services

April 12, 2012 - Brandon

• Brandon Fire Department

April 27, 2012 - Grenada

• Co. Camp McCain

May 18, 2012 - Olive Branch

• DeSoto County Sheriff's Department

May 24, 2012 - Clinton

• Clinton Fire Department
• Clinton Police Department

May 29, 2012 - Flowood

• Flowood Police Department

June 5, 2012 - Batesville

• Batesville Fire Department
• Batesville Police Department

June 14, 2012 - Hattiesburg

• Hattiesburg Fire Department
• Hattiesburg Police Department

2010-2011 Wills for Heroes Events

October 21, 2010 - Choctaw

• Choctaw Police Department Employees
• Choctaw Fire Department Employees
• Choctaw Health Center EMTs
• Choctaw Wildlife & Parks Employees

January 24-25, 2011 - Ridgeland

• Ridgeland Fire Department

April 2, 2011 - Fulton

• Itawamba County Fire, Police and EMS

May 11, 2011 - Cleveland

• Cleveland Volunteer Fire Department

May 17, 2011 - Brandon

• Rankin County Sheriff's Department

June 2-3, 2011 - Pascagoula

• Pascagoula Police and Fire Departments

June 10-11, 2011 - Gulfport

• Gulfport Police and Fire Departments
• American Medical Response Department                                                        

Wills for Heroes Photo Gallery