(Photo not the client; name changed for privacy.)
Julie Barrett called Jacksonville Area Legal Aid for help with her divorce after hearing that it had a program that offered veterans free civil legal services.
A former active duty servicemember, she had made the choice to stay home with her two pre-school-aged children and enter the Reserves so that her husband could continue his active-duty military career.
“I followed him through several duty stations,” said Barrett, not her real name. “And my doing that for his career put me behind in mine.”
Then, the marriage unraveled, and she found herself starting over.
“My main priority was the children, ensuring my kids were still maintained. And thinking about the visitation,” said Barrett, adding that it was complicated by her ex-husband’s impending deployment.
After what she called a “speedy turnaround,” Jacalyn Crecelius of JALA’s Veterans Legal Services Unit took Barrett’s case, aided by paralegal Aylmar Thompson.
“Without them, I felt like I would have been lost in this whole experience. I didn’t know where to start,” Barrett said. “They were always one step ahead of me. They were very efficient. I admired their precision. They diligently got my concerns addressed.”
She said Crecelius and Thompson informed her of options and benefits that were available to her that she would not have thought to request in the divorce.
“There were things I had no idea of. Without them I wouldn’t have been able to even think about some of those benefits that were on the table, and that I could have used for negotiating,” she said.
Crecelius said Barrett was a real fighter for her children.
“I really saw her grow through the experience, and we were able to come to a settlement agreement that gave her much more than she expected,” she said.
With her divorce finalized in less than six months, Barrett is now ready to work toward becoming a commercial pilot.
“I just hope that sooner or later that I can achieve this goal so I will be in a position to take care of the kiddos,” Barrett said.
About Jacksonville Area Legal Aid
Jacksonville Area Legal Aid is a nonprofit law firm focused on delivering economic, social, and housing justice to low-income and at-risk individuals and families on the First Coast.
If you are an attorney wanting to volunteer with probate and heirs property issues, contact JALA Pro Bono Director Aaron Irving, at (904) 356-8371, Ext. 363, or Aaron.Irving@jaxlegalaid.org.
###
