March 2011 Volunteer Feature: Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP Partners with the City Bar Justice Center to Help Disabled Veterans
Davis Polk has nearly 30 attorneys working with the Veterans Assistance Project and most have cases. In recent months, the firm has accepted seven new matters involving veterans from different periods of service ranging from WWII to Iraq and Afghanistan. One such case involves providing assistance to the widow of a WWII veteran, Ms. X. Ms. X's husband passed away in 2008 from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and the Veterans Administration determined that his death was not service related. Mr. X, however, never smoked, which is the most common cause of COPD, and he was exposed to several noxious fumes when his ship was attacked and sunk in the Pacific. Attorneys from Davis Polk are working to connect Mr. X's experience in service to his death in order to allow Ms. X to receive dependency and indemnity compensation.
In addition to helping veterans to receive the disability benefits that they have earned, Davis Polk attorneys have assisted victims of violent crimes in legalizing their immigration status, aided individuals who have suffered persecution in their home countries with asylum applications, and helped draft wills for cancer patients, among others.
"A commitment to pro bono is a fundamental part of our culture at Davis Polk; we view it as a responsibility of the firm and our lawyers. The City Bar Justice Center is an ideal partner on our pro bono matters and we applaud the work they do to help New York's neediest. Our relationship is particularly rewarding in that we are able to work together on such a wide range of important matters for individuals who would not otherwise have access to legal representation," said Ronnie Abrams, Special Counsel for Pro Bono at Davis Polk.
In April and June of 2011, Davis Polk will be partnering with Citigroup to provide legal advice to low-income microentrepreneurs at legal clinics through the Neighborhood Entrepreneur Law Project.
"The Justice Center is thankful for the continuing partnership of Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP and looks forward to their involvement in a new project, the Neighborhood Entrepreneur Law Project," said Carol Bockner, Director of Pro Bono Initiatives.