Legal Clinic in Pine Bluff Opens for Veterans in State's Southeast

"PINE BLUFF -- Southeast Arkansas veterans in need of legal and other services will no longer need to travel to Little Rock to get those needs met.

Officials have opened the Pine Bluff Veterans Legal Clinic at 3206 S. Hazel Street in the First Assembly Life Center -- West Campus in Pine Bluff.

Initially, three local attorneys, Berlin Jones, a retired judge from the 11th Judicial Circuit; Eugene Hunt; and Mircha King will offer free legal assistance for veterans needing services related to family law, tenant-landlord issues, consumer protection, trying to seal a criminal record, or resolve other legal issues.

"Any type of family-related legal services, we are trying to make that available to our veterans," said Louise Sullivan, assistant to Mayor Shirley Washington. "We want to be a full spectrum of opportunities for our veterans to come to one place to seek the type of services they might need."

The clinic will be open the second Thursday of each month from 9 a.m.-noon. Sullivan said those hours could possibly be expanded if the need is there, provided the capacity to do so can be summoned.

"We have to keep in mind that we are using attorneys who are not charging for their services and we have to be conscious of their time," she said. "That's why we're looking for some additional attorneys. We don't want to wear out our volunteers."

Bill Wussick, assistant director for Veteran Cemeteries with the state Department of Veterans Affairs, said the clinic will offer a wide range of other services as well for low-income veterans..."

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