Veterans’ Cases an Important Pro Bono Priority for Ropes & Gray

November 11 is Veterans Day in the United States, a time when people salute military veterans for their service. Ropes & Gray’s pro bono program regularly handles numerous veterans-related cases each year. Many of these cases are referred to Ropes & Gray by The Veterans Consortium Pro Bono Program, which provides legal assistance to veterans or their family members who need it.

Here is a brief overview of some of the activities Ropes & Gray attorneys have recently undertaken or will undertake on behalf of veterans:

• Staffing a legal clinic – Several Ropes & Gray attorneys will help staff a legal clinic for veterans arranged by Lawyers Clearinghouse, a Massachusetts-based organization that provides pro bono legal services to nonprofit organizations and individuals. The clinic will be held in Newton, Mass. on Dec. 3 and will help veterans with benefits, estate planning and housing issues.

• Obtaining benefits for a Korean War veteran – Stacy Tromble, an attorney in Ropes & Gray’s Washington, D.C. office, helped a Korean War veteran receive a retroactive settlement of more than $90,000, an $18,900 entitlement toward a vehicle, and an increase in monthly benefits from about $110 to more than $1,000 by having his service-related disability re-examined.

• Obtaining reinstatement of survivor’s benefits – A Ropes & Gray team won reinstatement of survivor’s benefits for the surviving spouse of a World War II veteran who died in 1970 as a result of service-connected disabilities.

• Winning a new hearing for a disabled veteran seeking a disability pension – Steven Zaorski, an attorney in Ropes & Gray’s New York office won a new hearing for a veteran who has been waiting more than 40 years for another chance to receive benefits he believes he deserves – benefits originally denied due to an alleged typographical error in his discharge papers. Mr. Zaorski has written a first-person account of why he represents veterans in the New York State Bar Association Pro Bono News. To view this article, please click here.

To view Ropes & Gray’s annual report of pro bono activities, please click here.