ABA Military Pro Bono Project Outstanding Services Award Goes to Holland & Knight for 9th Year in a Row
MIAMI (February 11, 2021) – For the ninth consecutive year, Holland & Knight has been honored with the Outstanding Services Award by the American Bar Association's (ABA) Military Pro Bono Project. It is the only law firm or company to receive the award every year since its inception in 2012.
In addition, Holland & Knight Partners Jonetta Brooks, Charles Naftalin, Rafe Petersen and Joshua Roberts and former Partner Buddy Schulz were individually recognized with the Outstanding Services Award for their "extraordinary pro bono services" in 2020.
The ABA Military Pro Bono Project accepts case referrals from military attorneys on behalf of junior enlisted, active-duty military personnel and their families with civil legal problems, and it works to place these cases with pro bono attorneys when legal assistance is needed.
Holland & Knight was the only recipient of the 2020 Outstanding Services Award for law firms and organizations. To receive the award, a law firm or corporate law department must have its attorneys accept five or more pro bono case referrals originating with the ABA Military Pro Bono Project in the applicable calendar year. Individual lawyers who receive the award must have: a) accepted three or more pro bono case referrals or b) accepted one or more pro bono case referrals, reported the closure of one or more cases and reported to the project that the total pro bono time spent on the closed case(s) is 50 hours or more.
Through Holland & Knight's involvement with the ABA Military Pro Bono Project, the firm's attorneys respond to a wide range of legal needs including landlord/tenant issues, mortgage and foreclosure concerns, trust and estate matters, and family law matters. The firm also supports other programs that benefit active-duty service members, veterans and their families such as the Wounded Warrior Project and United Way's Mission United and is in the forefront of shaping nationwide initiatives related to military and veteran programs through the ABA's LAMP and LSC Veterans Task Force. In addition, the firm partners with the ABA's Section of Taxation and the Internal Revenue Service to coordinate a Military Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program in various locations.
Holland & Knight has a continuing commitment to representing veterans with mental health conditions such as PTSD and TBI, particularly with respect to VA benefits and discharge upgrades. It also participates in Florida's GI LAW program, which provides pro bono legal services to active-duty military personnel.
Learn more about Holland & Knight's Veterans Group initiatives, including additional programs that benefit active-duty service members, veterans and their families, here or by contacting co-chairs Daniel Sylvester, Nicholas Hasenfus or Gordon Griffin.