Veterans

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My 16-year-old daughter, Helena, recently expressed an interest in helping veterans for a high school service project. I immediately took out my phone and emailed my partner Colleen Hart, a veteran of the U.S. Navy, who is heavily involved in veteran volunteer efforts.  Colleen wrote me back inviting Helena to help with the Los Angeles County Bar Association’s Veterans Legal Services Project (VLSP), a clinic that assists Veterans with legal issues.

Helena worked with Colleen at the VLSP in March, and returned home telling me how much she enjoyed the experience and the meaningful work.  The clinic meets once a month, so I decided to join her the next time she went. In preparation, I took a training along with several attorneys from Proskauer and our client A&E Television Network.

Serving veterans is a vital part of Prosakuer’s pro bono and corporate social responsibility initiatives.  Knowing that an integrated approach is the best approach to the unique challenges faced by low income veterans, Proskauer recently hosted a panel discussion on the state of veteran affairs locally and nationally, and specifically how to best connect veterans with the services and resources that they need and deserve.

Moderated by Wendy Dessy, Proskauer’s Manager of Corporate Social Responsibility, the panel guests were Ray Toenniessen, Associate Vice President of Strategic Initiatives at the Institute for Veterans and Military Families (IVMF), and Eric Henry, general counsel for the New York City Department of Veteran Services (DVS).

For the past three years, Proskauer’s Washington, D.C. office has served a gourmet holiday meal to resident visitors at the Fisher House located near the VA Medical Center. We were happy to continue this tradition on December 11, 2017, when a team from our D.C. office brought great food and friendly faces to a group of military and veterans’ families at the Fisher House.

The Fisher House is part of a network of facilities in the U.S. and Europe that provides “a home away from home” for families of patients receiving medical care at major military and VA medical centers. The homes are normally located within walking distance of a treatment facility or have transportation available. This network of comfort homes allows military and veterans’ families to stay at no cost while a loved one is receiving treatment at a VA medical facility.

Los Angeles has the highest population of homeless veterans in the United States.  Proskauer’s Los Angeles office supports several programs that provide direct assistance to LA’s homeless veterans, including PATHCooks.  Several times a year, Proskauer volunteers plan and serve dinner to the residents of PATH’s Westside Center through the PATHCooks program.  PATH’s Westside Center provides interim housing to get homeless veterans off the streets as quickly as possible while they work with the Veterans Administration and PATH staff to move into permanent homes or treatment centers.  PATH’s Westside center has 32 beds for male veterans.

The Veterans Assistance Project at the City Bar Justice Center (the pro bono arm of the New York City Bar Association) connects lawyers with veterans living on or below the poverty line. It helps veterans with their disability claims and appeals to the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs (VA).  Proskauer organized a small group of volunteers in October 2015 to attend an intake clinic at the City Bar, working in pairs to represent a veteran in need. Our effort has since evolved to include more than 90 from both Proskauer and our project partner Bloomberg LP.

In recognition of our contribution, Proskauer and Bloomberg LP were honored with a City Bar Justice Award at the City Bar Justice Center’s Annual Gala in April 2017. We were noted for our leadership and dedication to pro bono and public service, and for joining forces in an effort to help veterans obtain disability benefits from the VA. Proskauer is proud to have dedicated more than 1,500 pro bono hours to these cases.

Kevin Hackett, a corporate partner and veteran himself, spearheaded this volunteer effort. He had the following to say about this project and its great impact.