Pensacola veterans struggle to pay for legal help in civil court cases, panel says

From child support hearings to eviction notices, many Florida veterans are left to fend for themselves when it comes to complicated legal issues, members of a statewide committee on civil justice heard Friday. 

Judges, lawyers and veterans advocates from around the state met in Pensacola to discuss what can be done to ensure veterans have better representation in the civil justice system. 

Florida Supreme Court Justice Jorge Labarga, chairman of the Florida Commission on Access to Civil Justice, said the group took its meeting on veterans' issues to Pensacola because of the high number of active-duty military members and retirees in the region. 

"Access to civil justice not only impacts the poor, it also affects those of moderate income," he said.

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A Tampa veterans crisis line receives more than 10,000 calls a month from veterans needing help, said Dennis Baker, president of the Florida Veterans Foundation. Many of the calls are about suicidal thoughts or addiction issues. A lot of the calls are also from veterans who need help negotiating the legal system, he said. 

"A number of callers are telling us they need an attorney. It's everything from landlord/tenant disputes, wills and estates, mortgages and foreclosures, and taxes," he said. 

Law professor Jennifer La Via, director of the Veterans Legal Clinic at the Florida State University College of Law, is trying to help. La Via said the school has provided free legal work for hundreds of veterans.

But the Tallahassee clinic doesn't have the resources to serve every veteran who needs the help. She said the clinic routinely gets requests from Pensacola veterans.

"It is hard to serve clients who are that far away from us," she said.

Suspended driver's licenses are a big issue for veterans, she said. The state of Florida can suspend a driver's license as punishment for not paying child support or court fees. If a veteran loses their license and cannot get to work, they often get further and further behind on the child support payments. It's a downward spiral that is difficult to stop, she said.

Financial disputes can spark domestic violence situations, said First Circuit Court Judge Gary Bergosh, who oversees Pensacola's Veterans Court. Bergosh, a retired Marine Corps veteran, said few people in the legal community have military experience, which can make it difficult for judges and lawyers to understand issues facing veterans. 

While Bergosh deals with criminal cases in his court, he said, there is also a need in Pensacola for lawyers who are willing to help veterans with civil cases. But it's difficult to find attorneys who are willing to work for free or at a reduced rate. 

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"(The attorneys) have to make a living," he said. 

And Bergosh said judges sometimes have little discretion when it comes to suspending a driver's license or imposing another punishment that might not make sense in a specific case involving a veteran.

From his years of experience, Bergosh said he believes mental health is the biggest issue facing veterans, and access to legal services is the second-biggest issue. 

"It's difficult to provide the legal services because we aren't like doctors, there is not insurance to help pay for lawyers," he said. 

The Florida Commission on Access to Civil Justice was established in 2016 to study the unmet civil legal needs of disadvantaged, low income and moderate income Floridians.

Melissa Nelson Gabriel can be reached at mnelsongab@pnj.com or 850-426-1431.