Thanks to a new program offered by the Pennsylvania Bar Association, Pennsylvania's police, fire and emergency medical personnel will have access to free legal services to develop wills and other estate planning documents.

The program, known as "Wills for Heroes," is being coordinated by the PBA Young Lawyers Division and calls upon the expertise of lawyers throughout the state who voluntarily provide legal services. The project is co-sponsored by Ballard Spahr Andrews & Ingersoll L.L.P., which has designated "Wills for Heroes" as one of its public service projects. The computer software used for the program is provided by LexisNexis.

Now offered in 21 states, the "Wills for Heroes" program was founded by a South Carolina lawyer who wanted to do something meaningful to help the country after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. He met with South Carolina firefighters and noted a glaring need for estate planning services.

The Pennsylvania program was launched with events in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh in late February. Now, preparations are underway to take the program statewide.

A statewide training session for interested lawyer volunteers will be held on May 29 in Philadelphia and will be simulcast to other locations. Additional details about the training will be available soon on the PBI Web site.

Meanwhile, two "Wills for Heroes" events are scheduled in Montgomery County:

• Saturday, March 28, 2009, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
  Second Alarmers Association and Rescue Squad
  307 Davisville Road
  Willow Grove
• Friday, April 10, 2009, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
  LaMott Fire Company
  7600 Pennrose Ave.
  Elkins Park

Ten to 20 lawyers and at least two notaries (who do not have to be lawyers) are needed for each event. Volunteers do not need to practice trust and estate law. A mini-course will be given the morning of the event to familiarize volunteers with what they need to know. Also, several lawyers who are well-versed in estate planning will be available to answer any questions that may arise.

To sign up for the March 28 or April 10 events and for more information about the program, send an e-mail to Daniel J.T. McKenna, mckennad@ballardspahr.com at Ballard Spahr. Also, please complete the online registration form.

Future events are also in the works for April and May in Delaware, Chester, Luzerne, Dauphin and Lancaster counties, among others.

For more information on this program, visit the Wills for Heroes Foundation Web site.