PROBONO Bulletin - Winter 2008 - (Page 7)

CovER SToRy oTHER SIGNATURE PRoJECT UPDATES Serving Those Who Serve our County: Attorneys working on San Diego’s Signature Project are supporting the veterans community and the nonprofit organizations that serve them. Currently, attorneys are working on ten cases referred by the National Veterans Legal Services Program and Project SALUTE, two project partners, to obtain medical and disability benefits for veterans. Transactional lawyers are working to establish a new housing program for homeless veterans and to provide low-income entrepreneurs with corporate governance advice and support, and the labor and employment group is representing the Veterans Village of San Diego, another Signature Project partner. on Katrina victims who, due to the issue of fractured heirs’ property ownership, have had trouble establishing ownership of property damaged during the hurricane and have been unable to obtain funds for rebuilding. With the help of local pro bono counsel Woody Pringle, we have had several recent victories on behalf of property owners in Mississippi. Ben Allen and Michael Bachman (both Tampa) helped the owner of a parcel of heirs’ property obtain a grant of $67,575 from the Mississippi Development Authority (MDA) to help rebuild his home. Hayley Yandoli (New York), helped a client receive an MDA grant of $80,000. Two teams, the first led by Chad Richman and Brian Cohen (both Chicago) and the second by Amy Sullivan (Atlanta) recently secured from left to right: Jennifer Feldman speaking with Frances Quinones of Lockheed Martin, San Diego; Renee Chantler speaking with Coronado City Counselman Mike Woiwode, a former Navy fighter pilot and member of the San Diego Military Advisory Council's Board of Directors; Jennifer Feldman, Terry O'Malley, General Ralston of the Cohen Group and Marty Lorenzo (left to right). The San Diego project is the first Signature Project to incorporate a community service component. In July, more than 50 DLA Piper lawyers and staff volunteered at the three-day annual Stand Down event, which provides services to homeless veterans and their families. Firm volunteers offered legal counseling and clothing, located and contacted loved ones, and prepared and served meals to veterans. We also donated supplies, time and more than $10,000 to the Backpack Brigade, an annual back-to-school drive held by Operation Homefront for the children of active duty personnel. A public reception was held in November to formally launch the Signature Project and celebrate these accomplishments. The event featured remarks by General Joseph W. Ralston of the Cohen Group (US Air Force— Retired), Senior Advisor to DLA Piper and former Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Rebuilding foundations of Home ownership: Launched last year, this project has firm lawyers already representing more than 100 clients whose homes were devastated during Hurricane Katrina. Our work focuses grants of $100,000 each from the MDA—the largest amount received in any case handled by the firm so far. Advocates Against violence: Earlier this year, the Atlanta office, in collaboration with the Atlanta Volunteer Lawyers Foundation (AVLF), initiated its Signature Project, Advocates Against Violence, through which lawyers, paralegals and other administrative staff assist victims of domestic violence in obtaining 12-month temporary protective orders (TPOs) against their abusers. With the support of the AVLF staff, the office now has handled five TPO cases and has obtained TPOs for their clients in every case. Without a TPO, AVLF believes that at least one of these clients likely would have been severely harmed or killed by her abuser. “The AVLF staff and each of the clients/victims have been impressed with and grateful for the DLA Piper team’s work ethic, commitment and compassion in handling the TPO cases,” says Shawn Lanier (Atlanta). “They are, likewise, thrilled with the results achieved in each case.” So far, Chris Bruce, Lloyd Dotson, Rich Greenstein, Kimberly Middleton, Antonia Roberts, Sarah Roadcap, WINTER 2008 | 07

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of PROBONO Bulletin - Winter 2008

PROBONO Bulletin - Winter 2008 Contents Cover Story: Digging Deep: DLA Piper’s Signature Project Model CSR Report Feature Story: DLA Piper Assists with German Ghetto Work Payment Program Clinics National News Mapping Impact An Interview With Jeff Coopersmith FourThought New Perimeter Update Awards and Recognition

PROBONO Bulletin - Winter 2008

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