SOLACE Making a Difference Around Legal Community

SOLACE is making a difference in the lives of our members and those close to them! The program (whose name stands for “Support of Lawyers/Legal Personnel All Concern Encouraged”) is a new initiative of the FBA that began at the national level in October 2016. Some examples of how SOLACE has helped the legal community follow.

An FBA member referred a friend who is battling stage IV adrenal cortex carcinoma.  She is a single mother of two boys and due to substantial medical bills, she has been struggling to meet her family’s daily living expenses, including groceries, gas, toiletries, and clothing.  She sought gift cards to local stores and hotel points to cover the hotel costs when she travels to the hospital for treatment.  FBA members graciously responded to the need and provided gift cards to assist this family.

A policeman was involved in a shooting incident with a suspect in stolen vehicle.  The suspect was killed, and the policeman placed on administrative leave during investigation.  The policeman’s wife, an FBA member, sought help with meals for the family of the police officer during the investigation.  The FBA Chapter in the area of the incident arranged for meals to be provided to the family.

The wife of a senior status, state court judge died, and the judge sought help to obtain some grief counseling. Because he was a senior judge he did not qualify for the employee assistance plan to obtain counseling.  This judge had helped the local federal court with many collaborative projects, so local FBA members arranged for the judge to receive grief counseling sessions on a pro bono basis.

An FBA member submitted a SOLACE request on behalf of close friends, an Afghan family facing an urgent housing crisis.  The family came to the United States as refugees after their lives were endangered due to work for the US.  They applied for subsidized housing, but their application was lost and the apartment complex placed them at the end of the waiting list, leaving them without affordable housing.  They sought SOLACE assistance that could help them with their housing application.  Another FBA member who learned of the need contacted a church in the vicinity of the Afghan family, which owned a home for rent, and the church offered the home to the Afghan family for much lower rent than the family was currently paying.

If you would like to learn more about SOLACE, or if you would like to submit a request for assistance, please visit the FBA’s SOLACE web page.