Thursday, October 28, 2010
Thu, 28 Oct 2010
The Wills for Missionaries program provides estate planning and other documents (wills, durable powers of attorney, advance medical directives, and travel authorizations) for missionaries of the International Mission Board (IMB), as they head overseas to the mission field. During the time when missionaries are attending a two-month session at the IMB’s International Learning Center outside Richmond, lawyers involved in the program draft documents for missionaries and spend a Saturday at the ILC supervising the clients’ executing of the documents.
The program conducts four sessions per year, in February, May, September, and November. For the February session, students in the Estate Planning class draft documents and conduct document executions, under the supervision of program lawyers, as an assignment for the Estate Planning class. The September and November sessions occur when third-year students are taking the Wills course, and students can volunteer to participate by assisting the lawyers in drafting documents and supervising document executions. Thus, during the time when students currently are learning the substantive law of wills, trusts, and estates, they can gain practical, hands-on training in drafting documents and representing clients. Each year, the program serves about 200 missionaries engaged in the Great Commission.
The lawyers participating in the program are graduates and faculty of the law school. Those presently serving include Randy Holley (class of 2008), Rick Kuenzi (class of 2008), Philip Manns (faculty), Brandon Osterbind (class of 2008), and Sara Pope (class of 2008).
The Wills for Missionaries program allows us to do good work for good people.
The IMB is part of the Southern Baptist Convention and manages the activities of missionaries throughout the world. The Wills for Missionaries program is a joint undertaking of Liberty University School of Law and Liberty Counsel.