A lot of communities have annual events that their veterenarians put on. Basically, the vets all agree that one day a year (some places twice a year), they'll spay and neuter cats and dogs for free or for a nominal cost. Some of them do it for free with a donation box so that people can pay what they can.
Why? Spaying and neutering is critical to controlling the stray dog and (particularly) cat population. When there's a lot of ferile beasts running around, not being cared for, it's a problem. We've failed in our duty to the animals we've adapted for our own purposes, and it's not fair that we should have to put millions to sleep per year.
So is there any legal service that's as widely necessary as getting pets spayed and neutered? Something that almost everybody needs to get done but doesn't? Something that lawyers could, once a year or so, offer to do for nominal cost, especially to those with little income?
Absolutely: wills. Everybody needs one, few people have them. I myself have only a holographic will (valid under Wyoming law), but it probably needs to be updated.
Now I know that this may raise all sorts of complications. Something like this wouldn't relieve lawyers from the duty to check for conflicts and provide quality service to clients, which would probably mean that a lawyer wouldn't be able to do as many wills as a vet does spaying and neutering procedures. Still, it could really be great. It serves the community, gets your firm name out, and it could really be a boost for support staff who--while they will have to work hard on that day to get everything out--can be rewarded at the end with the knowledge of doing something great for the community.
But I've never done any estate planning or wills. The closest I've been is my Trusts and Estates class, so I don't know exactly what complications might be out there. Still, with a little planning, I'd bet most of those problems would be easily dealt with. Is there any reason it simply wouldn't work?
