Volunteer Resources - San Antonio Legal Services Association

Covid 19 Volunteer Resource

Dear Volunteer,

On behalf of the San Antonio Legal Services Association (SALSA), we look forward to having you volunteer with our program. We appreciate you taking time from your busy schedule to volunteer and provide legal representation during this crisis.

You are welcome to use the forms we have provided in the links below. If you decide to use these forms, please first review the training video created by a SALSA Wills Mentor, so that you have the best tips and tricks for utilizing the forms. If you are an estate planning attorney, you are welcome to use your forms instead. The goal is to provide a simple Will along with ancillary documents, such as a Medical Power of Attorney, as detailed below, to each client.

Once you have prepared the documents, please send them to the client in PDF format, along with the document storage recommendations and instructions for execution forms provided in the “Documents to Give to Client After Drafting” section below. From there, it will be the client’s responsibility to print the documents and sign them. We are working closely with our hospital partners to arrange notaries and witnesses at the hospital, as well as arrangements for on-site printing if the client doesn’t have access to remote printing. We are also working closely with law students at St. Mary’s University School of Law and other trained volunteers to participate via conference call at the time of signing so that all documents are properly executed.

Mentors will be assigned to all volunteers who are not estate planning attorneys. The mentors will be available to answer questions while volunteers are drafting and will complete a review of each will drafted by volunteers who are not estate planning attorneys prior to volunteers sending the wills to their client for feedback/suggestions.

Clients will sign a Limited Pro Bono Engagement Letter online via HelloSign prior to your representation. The Limited Pro Bono Engagement Letter dictates the scope of your representation and is kept on file as proof of your relationship with SALSA so that you may be provided coverage under the SALSA insurance policy. Clients will be notified in the Limited Pro Bono Engagement Letter that the scope of the representation is for a simple Will and ancillary documents only. Representation will not extend beyond this scope. Clients are also alerted through the client applicant agreement that these documents are being created in an emergency situation, and that for more complex estate planning, they should seek advice and counsel from an attorney after the restrictions and urgencies imposed during COVID-19 have been lifted.

We appreciate the time and energy our volunteers put into this program. Our goal is to provide you all the tools and support necessary to succeed in your representation of the client. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you need assistance. Thank you for joining us in our mission to help front line medical workers and other essential workers during these unprecedented times!

Sincerely,

Sarah Dingivan
Executive Director

sarahd@sa-lsa.org