2025 Veterans Day Tribute

Holland & Knight's Veterans Group was founded on the fundamental premise that those who have served our country and defended our freedoms deserve our talent and resources to improve their quality of life. Here at Holland & Knight, we believe that veterans should be supported and celebrated, not only on Veterans Day, but every day.

The mission of our Veterans Group is simple: "Do Good Work." Over the years, our firm has devoted tens of thousands of pro bono hours toward supporting veterans and their families. Last year, members of our firm dedicated countless hours toward veteran and military-related pro bono matters, reflecting a substantial commitment in both time and resources. Holland & Knight has received the Outstanding Services Award from the ABA Military Pro Bono Project. Our Veterans Group is the vanguard for military and veteran initiatives nationwide, and we are fortunate to collaborate with many organizations that share our core values. At Holland & Knight, we honor the courageous efforts of all veterans, including our very own.

1:29 – Anthony Fleming: I was in the Air Force and was in the Air Force for eight years, and I initially enlisted as a financial service representative. My role was to provide pay and travel advice and assistance to military personnel. Going through basic training, technical school, things like that, going in, you're not sure if you have what it takes to make it. So going through those and succeeding, it gave me a huge sense of pride and sense of belonging. So, if there was any word of advice, it would be just that: to just take a lot of pride in what you've done as a veteran, as someone who's made that decision to raise their right hand and serve the country. That in itself will raise a lot of eyebrows and will garner you a lot of respect. So never forget who you are and the sacrifice that you've made for this country.

2:40 – Toni Moran: Before 2014, women were not allowed in combat in the Army and in the military at large. I was actually part of a small all-female team called the cultural support team. And our main duty over there was to assist Rangers, SEALs and Green Berets in searching and questioning women and children on target, as well as training female Afghan soldiers. It was really rewarding. It was obviously really challenging as well.

So my grandfather, Fred DeBerardinis, he was a World War II veteran. And I think that really played a role in me enlisting in the Army and wanting to fall in his footsteps of service. Part of what I learned that's so critical in a law firm is teamwork and nobody's more important than the team.

4:44 – Sean Pribyl: I spent six years as a Coast Guard Judge Advocate, or JAG, on active duty, and prior to that, 12 years in the Navy Reserve as an officer in the Strategic Sealift Command. When you're in the military, you're never really off duty. You carry it with you wherever you go. So I spent a lot of time outside of practice, and prior joining Holland & Knight, talking to veterans that were interested in pursuing different career paths. I had a number of people that helped me through my career, that helped me achieve my goals, and I'm happy always to try to impart some of that knowledge onto others. I think that mentorship is incredibly important in the practice of law. Anything that people can do to be a mentor is, I think, critical.

5:44 – Henry Moreno: During my first enlistment, I was a helicopter mechanic working on CH-53s. And then my second enlistment, I was [a] criminal investigator. After serving a year in Afghanistan on deployment, you know, it was kind of tough for my family, so we decided to move back home.

A big reason why I'm here at Holland & Knight is because of the Veterans Group. So while I was going through the process, I spoke to several different attorneys that were in the Veterans Group, which really helped solidify my decision to come to Holland & Knight. The firm has also been really supportive of me and my own efforts here locally to give back to the veteran community through the work I do with Mission United.

The reason why the Marine Corps was the one that we typically decided to go with was just because of the professionalism that they exhibited and their core values of honor, courage and commitment. So that's been kind of a hallmark of my life growing up and something that I continue hopefully to bring every single day to Holland & Knight, reflective to the work that we do for our clients.

6:59 – Michelle Richards: I was at [the] Naval Air Station Jacksonville in Jacksonville, Florida. A lot of what I learned — and this all goes back, and this is what I bring here — is you make do with what you have. Like, it's, "OK, how can we get the job done? How can we get around this obstacle?" And I try to look at the bigger picture.

We don't want to be looked on as though we're a veteran. We're just like everybody else. It's just we did something, you know, that a lot of people don't actually think about, a lot of people don't consider doing. A lot of what the military taught me is it's about the team, and it's making sure that everybody goes home and everybody is safe. And I still do that to this day.