Indiana Lawyers for Servicemembers is a statewide network of attorney volunteers who provide legal assistance for current and former members of our military and, in some cases, their family members. The program is sponsored by the Indiana State Bar Association Military & Veterans' Affairs Committee, and supported by the Indiana Bar Foundation. 

Eligible Servicemembers and family members include:

• Current active duty Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine personnel who list Indiana as home of record or current duty station
• Current active duty Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine personnel who are subject to imminent deployment or returning from a recent deployment
• Current Indiana National Guard personnel, regardless of deployment status
• Veterans seeking legal assistance for a service-related disability
• Spouses of Indiana National Guard personnel when the legal issue affects the whole family and it is not adverse to the servicemember
  

Process

If you need legal assistance, complete the online application, even if you aren’t positive that you qualify. Your application will be forwarded to our staff to determine your eligibility.

If your case is approved for the Indiana Lawyers for Servicemembers program, you will be matched with an attorney based on the information you provided in the application, namely (1) the description of your legal issue and (2) your location in Indiana. Once your case is assigned to an attorney, he or she will contact you directly.

Legal Fees

Note that the Indiana Lawyers for Servicemembers matches participants with legal assistance, but is not involved in determining the legal fees. Whether the legal services will be provided for free (pro bono), for a reduced fee, or full fee will be worked out between the client and the attorney once matched. 

Apply

Click here to apply.

Questions

Please contact military@inbar.org or 317-639-5465 with questions.

Additional resources

USERRA/employment issues

For employment matters, click here to contact the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) first. If you have contacted ESGR and your issue persists, then you may proceed with applying for assistance through the Indiana Lawyers for Servicemembers program.

Criminal matters

The Indiana Lawyers for Servicemembers program does not provide assistance on criminal matters. For assistance on criminal matters, use the resources provided here in the Find a Lawyer section.

If you are dealing with a criminal matter, be aware that some counties have Veterans Treatment Courts that you might be eligible to participate in. Make sure to mention that you have served to everyone you talk to throughout the legal process, and ask if there is a Veterans Treatment Court in your county. Click here to see a list of all problem-solving courts in the state, including Veterans Treatment Courts.

More about Indiana Lawyers for Servicemembers

Indiana's armed service personnel make great sacrifices on behalf of their fellow Hoosiers. One basic benefit that service personnel are and should be entitled to is legal assistance in a range of civil and non-criminal contexts, particularly when these service men and women are actively deployed. Regrettably, access to this kind of representation frequently is not available for Indiana-based personnel and their families because of limited resources currently available through the appropriate service wings.

This program is an effort by the Indiana State Bar Association to bridge this gap between existing needs and available resources by providing a pool of attorneys who have volunteered to assist Indiana service members, veterans and their families.