Veterans Services

The city’s Military Affairs and Veterans Department and Jacksonville Area Legal Aid are offering free Ask-A-Lawyer sessions. Beginning Aug. 17, the events will be 9 a.m. to noon the third Thursday of each month in the department’s office suite at City Hall, 117 W. Duval St. Topics include family law; housing, including landlord/tenant; probate and estates; contracts; consumer law, including debt and credit reporting; veterans benefits; military discharge upgrades; and security clearance defense. Participating attorneys will not be accepting cases for representation, but will offer legal guidance and information about available resources. Call 904-255-5550 to schedule an appointment.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Attorney Jacalyn Crecelius, who leads Jacksonville Area Legal Aid’s Veterans Legal Services Unit, has received Veterans Administration accreditation, a qualification that helps ensure claimants have access to responsible and qualified representation on their VA benefits claims. “This accreditation opens up major opportunities to serve northeast Florida veterans and their families,” Crecelius said. “There are so many underserved veterans who aren’t receiving the VA benefits they deserve, and I’m excited to be able to advocate for them in a notoriously complicated system.” With accreditation, Crecelius can represent claimants after the VA has issued an initial decision on a claim. She can help them further develop evidence to support their claim and devise legal arguments on their behalf to submit to VA. She can also help clients navigate the VA appeals process. “JALA is thrilled to have a VA-accredited attorney to better serve our veterans,” JALA President and CEO Jim Kowalski said. “VA studies have found that civil legal assistance is among the top unmet needs of unhoused veterans, and the affordable housing crisis has only increased the challenges faced by our veterans. Access to veterans’ benefits is critical to providing all low-income veterans with stability.”

Attorney Jacalyn Crecelius is the new leader of the Veterans Legal Services Unit at Jacksonville Area Legal Aid. The program began in 2019 in connection with the Florida Veterans Legal Helpline funded through the state Department of Veterans Affairs. "My goal is to further develop the unit into one that veterans and those advocating for them know they can trust for honest, strong and compassionate support,” Crecelius said. Before joining JALA, Crecelius practiced family law, security clearance defense and insurance and health care law with Florida Women’s Law Group and The Edmunds Law Firm. 

Attorney Jacalyn Crecelius has joined Jacksonville Area Legal Aid as leader of its Veterans Legal Services Unit, which launched in 2019 in connection with a statewide Florida Veterans Legal Helpline funded through the Florida Department of Veterans Affairs. “I'm thankful for the opportunity to serve as the Veterans attorney with JALA,” Crecelius said. “My goal is to further develop the unit into one that veterans and those advocating for them know they can trust for honest, strong, and compassionate support.” Prior to working at JALA, Crecelius worked as an attorney in the areas of family law, security clearance defense, and insurance/healthcare law. She has practiced locally with Florida Women’s Law Group and The Edmunds Law Firm.