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November 11, 2020

Statement of ABA President Patricia Lee Refo Re: Veterans Day

WASHINGTON, Nov. 11, 2020 – On this Veterans Day, the American Bar Association honors the men and women who have bravely defended our nation and have allowed the rule of law to flourish in the United States and around the world.

The ABA is committed to pursuing justice for all military personnel as they serve our country and all veterans after they resume civilian life. During this pandemic, it is especially important that veterans and their families receive the legal protections to which they are entitled. Currently, nearly 40,000 veterans are homeless, and that number could increase if veterans lose jobs or are evicted as a result of the pandemic. The ABA Coronavirus (COVID-19) Task Force offers extensive resources for lawyers, consumers and others needing help during the pandemic.

The ABA supports veterans and active-duty personnel in many other ways. The ABA Standing Committee on Legal Assistance for Military Personnel manages the Military Pro Bono Project, which helps junior enlisted personnel find pro bono attorneys for civil legal problems. ABA Free Legal Answers offers an online portal for veterans and others with qualifying income to ask legal questions to pro bono attorneys.

The ABA also works with Congress to support programs for veterans. For example, the ABA calls upon Congress to pass legislation allowing the Department of Veterans Affairs to support legal services for homeless veterans. The VA currently is not allowed to fund such legal assistance. For more information on this issue and how to help, visit the ABA website dedicated to access to justice for homeless veterans.

All Americans are grateful to the military veterans who have served our country and defended our democracy. On Veterans Day and every day, we are dedicated to helping them.

The ABA is the largest voluntary association of lawyers in the world. As the national voice of the legal profession, the ABA works to improve the administration of justice, promotes programs that assist lawyers and judges in their work, accredits law schools, provides continuing legal education, and works to build public understanding around the world of the importance of the rule of law. View our privacy statement online. Follow the latest ABA news at www.americanbar.org/news and on Twitter @ABANews.