Ventura County veterans and military personnel with legal questions will have a new way to get answers starting in mid-October when the Ventura County Military Collaborative’s legal clinic opens.

During twice a month clinics, the Military and Veterans Legal Clinic Ventura County will provide veterans and active duty, guard and reserve with a free one-hour consultation with a licensed attorney. Family members and dependents cannot be seen at this time.

Among the topics covered: DUIs; child custody, child support, divorce, family law matters; credit or bankruptcy; landlord/tenant disputes; estate planning; powers of attorney; expungement; workers’ compensation; and unemployment benefits.

Kim Evans Logie, director of the Ventura County Military Collaborative (VCMilC), spearheaded formation of the clinic. Her time as Director of Psychological Health with the 146th Airlift Wing, work with the CA Army National Guard and her current position as liaison to the Veterans Treatment Court convinced her of the need for free legal services for veterans, active duty, guard and reservists.

“We see so many coming back from serving our country, people who have put their lives on hold, who now need our help,” Evans Logie said. “And we know that combat stress can sometimes bring about issues that result in legal problems.”

The clinic will meet once each month from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on a Friday and on the following Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Appointments are available now for the first five meetings: Fridays, October 17, November 14 and December 12; and Saturdays, October 18 and November 15. Go to www.military411.org to sign-up. Walk-ins will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis, if an attorney is available.

Clinics will be held at the Ventura County Community Foundation Building at 4001 Mission Oaks Boulevard in Camarillo.Gold Coast Veterans Foundation is graciously supplying the space for the clinic.

The clinic has no funding, and is operating with a volunteer corps of local attorneys assisted by law students and community support. Among the supporting agencies are: the Ventura County Bar Association, the Veterans Treatment Court, the Public Defenders Office, RSVP Oxnard, the Ventura County Veterans Services Office, and the Ventura Center for Dispute Settlement.

Attorneys interested in volunteering can access information on the Ventura County Military Collaborative’s website, www.military411.org, or by calling 805-218-1930. Additional volunteer help is needed and includes assisting the veterans and military members with their intakes, providing office support and helping with marketing/social media. Call RSVP at 805-385-8023 for more information on these other volunteer needs. VCMilC and its programs are provided by the generous support of Ventura County. If you would like to donate please see our website at www.military411.org

VCMilCconsists of over 120 local, state and federal agencies serving Ventura County military, veterans and their families. It provides a format for information to be shared, awareness to be raised, community outreach to be strengthened and partnerships to be established with the overall goal to improve services to the military community of Ventura County. Annual events include the Military and Veteran Expo, providing ready access to military-serving agencies, and Operation Snowflake, providing toys to military and veteran families in need during the holidays. VCMilC also provides individual support on a case-by-case basis. Its 501(c)(3) status is pending.