Barone Defense Firm Offers Free Estate Planning to Michigan’s First Responders

The United States just earned the unfortunate statistic of having the world’s most confirmed cases of Covid-19. While the virus does not discriminate, it does disproportionately impact certain members of our communities, including those who have dedicated their careers and perhaps literally, their lives, to helping all of us.

These first responders include all police officers, nurses, doctors and firefighters.  All of those on the front line of helping us fight the pandemic.  They’re all in the same boat.  Their jobs place them at the highest risk, and even with protective measures, many of them will contract the virus.  By all accounts, once the virus is contracted the impact varies considerably among individuals.  Some experience almost no or only very minor symptoms while in others the virus quickly migrates to and immediately begins ravaging the lungs. The result for some is death.

It’s during times like these that all of us look for ways to protect ourselves and our families.  Not only from the potential illness caused by the virus, but we also want to protect the financial well-being of our loved ones.  For many of us this means making sure we have all necessary estate planning documents in order.

At the Barone Defense Firm we salute our first responders and for this reason we have begun offering them a free durable power of attorney or a free patient advocate form.  It’s the least we can do to help our communities and the brave first responders who serve us all.

A durable power of attorney is a signed legal document that allows another person to carry on and conduct the financial affairs of a person who has become disabled.  For example, this is the legal document that would be necessary to allow another person to pay your bills.  A patient advocate form, also know as an advanced health care directive, allows another person to make medical decisions on your behalf should you be unable to participate in making them yourself.  This is the legal document that tells the doctors what kind of life-sustaining treatment you will consent to or those to which you object.  For example, some people would not want to agree to blood transfusions, while others may object to being placed on a breathing machine. With a patient advocate form you make these decisions in advance and then if you become disabled, your designated advocate can legally act as your voice when you no longer have one.

If you are a first responder interested in obtaining their free estate planning document, you need only to call one of our offices to arrange for the free document of your choice to be prepared and delivered to you. We have offices throughout the state that remain open and ready to serve you now.

Subject to review, this offer for a free power of attorney or patient advocate form is open to all first responders in Michigan but expires on April 13, 2020.  While the offer is open it will be administered on a first come first served basis, to the first 25 individuals who respond. After we’ve drafted the first 25 documents, depending on the demand, we may increase the numbers served.  It is our intention to offer this service to as many first responders as possible.