Case Study: LexisNexis & Wills for Heroes

Wills for Heroes provides free wills, living wills and powers of attorney to first responders and their spouse/domestic partner via pro bono legal services, computers and technology provided by LexisNexis.

The Opportunity 

A Forbes magazine article published in 2007 reports that 55% of the adult American population has no will. According to Wills for Heroes, “despite the inherently dangerous nature of their jobs, an overwhelmingly large number of first responders – approximately 80-90% do not have even simple wills.” First responders deserve the security and peace of mind that come from knowing they have the appropriate documentation in place should the worst happen.

Lexisnexis' pro bono investment

HotDocs® software from LexisNexis® uses document assembly technology to make standardized forms easier to create and use. Marshall Morrise, Senior Director of Product Development, worked with trust and estate planning experts to adapt the technology to create state-specific trust and estate planning templates. Lawyers, paralegals and other staff from LexisNexis volunteer at day-long clinics where the attorney enters questionnaire data into the HotDocs program, which then generates a customized estate plan. The questionnaire also identifies situations where the first responder should consult an estate planning specialist so that volunteers don’t exceed their expertise. Attorneys review the draft estate planning documents with the first responder participant to insure that the document reflects the first responder’s intent and, once finalized, the documents are signed, witnessed and notarized in a formal ceremony with LexisNexis volunteers and witnesses.

The Impact

The founder of Wills for Heroes, Anthony Hayes says “Marshall’s software idea allows us to clone the knowledge of trust & estate professionals, so that any lawyer, from any practice area, can provide basic trust and estate planning to our local heroes.  If Marshall had not created the HotDocs software, I would not have created the Wills for Heroes Program.   The small butterfly has created a hurricane sweeping across the country.” 

Since its inception in September of 2001, the Wills for Heroes Program, through the use of HotDocs, has helped over 8,000 first responders in thirteen states.  “Once again, LexisNexis has been the leader in a project through which attorneys, who want to help, can pull their efforts together and have a significant public service impact-something they could not have done individually,” said Allan Head, president of the National Association of Bar Executives.

About Wills for Heroes

Wills for Heroes programs provide essential legal documents free of charge to our nation’s first responders, including wills, living wills, and powers of attorney. The 501(c)(3) charitable non-profit Wills for Heroes Foundation supports these Wills programs, giving back to the community and “protecting those who protect us.”

About LexisNexis

LexisNexis® is a leading provider of information and services solutions, including its flagship Web-based Lexis® and Nexis® research services, to a wide range of professionals in the legal, risk management, corporate, government, law enforcement, accounting and academic markets. A member of Reed Elsevier, LexisNexis serves customers in 100 countries with 13,000 employees worldwide. For more information, visit: www.lexisnexis.com.