By: Amir Hassanabadi, Associate, San Francisco
A veteran, by definition, has survived war. Plans for what comes after a soldier falls find welcome pause in the ordinary demands of life. But even an ordinary life must end someday. It must be a shock, then, for some veterans who sacrificed, served and survived for their country, to find themselves too poor to plan for a dignified end. Where is the justice in that?
Disembarking the bus, we were greeted by a cozy Veterans Memorial Building, replete with American flags and welcoming faces. The staff at OneJustice – a legal services organization dedicated to increasing access to justice in rural and isolated communities – had organized the event well: food and full canteens awaited us. They trained us, coached us and thanked us. The veterans who we were tasked with helping had already been screened and informed of the process. It was orderly and disciplined – soldier-like.
Meeting the veterans provided a stark reminder of the challenges they continue to face long after their war draws to a close. We met poor veterans. Cancer survivors. Those without family and those who had lost them. Without many resources, these veterans were having a difficult time planning their wills and outlining their end-of-life care. They worried that they would leave their loved ones with misery instead of security. To put it simply, they did not have peace of mind.
In teams of two, the Justice Bus volunteers helped bring comfort to these veterans. Attorneys walked veterans through form wills, personalizing and improvising as they went along. Veterans had land to be partitioned and pets to be taken care of. Similarly, attorneys helped veterans make the hard choices with regards to end-of-life care.
One would think this would be a somber process, but it was just the opposite. One veteran recommended an amazing museum in the Presidio dedicated to conscientious objectors. Another told us one of the dirtiest jokes I had heard in a while (not to be repeated here). These were kind folks who were happy to be interacting with us and getting the help they deserved.
We served 24 veterans that day, but our impact was greater and went deeper than that. By serving these veterans, we impacted the lives of their families. We honored their service and their legacy. And we made sure that the poorest in our communities can leave this world with security and dignity. Hopefully we found a small measure of justice in that.
The Fenwick volunteer team included Priscila Bastazin, Amir Hassanabadi, Greg Hopewell, Nam Kim, Goutham Kondapalli, Liza Kostinskaya, Helen Li, Marion Miller, and Robin Reasoner.
Amir Hassanabadi, a UC Berkeley (Boalt Hall) alum, is an associate in the Corporate practice group at Fenwick & West LLP. He focuses his practice on a variety of corporate matters to support clients in the high technology and life sciences industries. A champion of pro bono at the firm, Amir donates his time to Legal Services for Entrepreneurs, leading workshops on business law basics and providing limited-scope representation to low-income small business owners and entrepreneurs who serve underserved communities. He also shares his expertise with pro bono clients such as Shabeh Jomeh (a Persian networking and charitable group) and Pacific Community Ventures (a nonprofit that creates economic opportunity in low-income communities). Amir speaks Persian/Farsi and is an avid member of the Fenwick bocce ball team.
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