A Lehighton lawyer is coordinating a program offered by the Pennsylvania Bar Association that provides free simple wills for first responders, military veterans and their families.

The program, Wills for Heroes, brings volunteer lawyers directly to first responders and military veterans. The planning documents are generally completed in about an hour.The local coordinator is attorney Adam Weaver, whose office is at 811 Blakeslee Blvd. Drive East in Lehighton.On Feb. 21, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Hilltop Community Center, Summit Hill, Carbon County will have its first Wills for Heroes event.A second event will be held on March 28, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Fern Ridge Barracks of the Pennsylvania State Police in Blakeslee. This will be run by the program director of the Pennsylvania Wills For Heroes, attorney Lisa Shearman, of the law firm of Hamburg, Rubin, Mullin, Maxwell & Lupin, Montgomery County.Once an event is coordinated, it will be posted online through the Wills for Heroes website and appointments can be made by registering online.To register, go to

www.pabar.org/wfh. The password is: WFH.If the date is changed due to inclement weather, it will be posted on the website.Before your appointment, you will be asked to complete an estate planning questionnaire, which is also found on the website. When you arrive for your appointment, you will sign in, and then meet with a volunteer attorney who will input information from your questionnaire into the template.Attorney Weaver said the Wills for Heroes program integrates the power of attorney forms required under the recent Pennsylvania amendments to the law that took effect on Jan. 1.Wills for Heroes program provides simple wills, a living will, and financial powers of attorney for first responders, such as police, firefighters, paramedics, and correctional officers, military veterans, and their spouses/partners. It requires proof of affiliation upon attending a scheduled appointment. If your estate exceeds approximately $750,000, this service is unavailable due to the complexity of your estate and the limited time to complete documents.Weaver attended a county coordinator training session of the Wills for Heroes program at the Hershey Corporate Center in September. The goal was to have the program become more active in more counties in Pennsylvania.The Wills for Heroes program started shortly after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. The popularity of the program surged in 2007-2008 when it was recognized as a national service project by the American Bar Association Young Lawyers Division.Weaver said, "Despite the inherently dangerous nature of their jobs, an overwhelming large number of first responders do not have a will. The relatively low number of first responders with wills also speaks to the selflessness; the very nature of their profession is to think of others first. Avoiding the thought of 'what happens if I die' is for many first responders an occupational necessity. If you die without a will, Pennsylvania's intestate laws will determine who will receive your property. Undoubtedly, your loved ones' grief will be overwhelming; a clear expression of your intent, desires and wishes may help this inevitable burden."He said, "By having estate planning documents in place, you lay out a plan in advance. You get to decide how your property will be distributed, who will be the guardians of your children, and who will settle and manage your estate. A living will makes decisions about your health care and whether to allow doctors to withhold or withdraw life-sustaining procedures in the event of a coma, terminal condition or a persistent vegetative state."For more information, or if interested in volunteering, contact Weaver at 570 818-4888 or by email at

attyweaver@icloud.com.