Paul Hastings Recognized by the National Veterans Legal Services Program as Pro Bono Partner of the Year

November 26, 2019

Washington, D.C. – Paul Hastings LLP, a leading global law firm, announced today that the firm was honored as the National Veterans Legal Services Program (NVLSP)’s Pro Bono Partner of the Year. The award is given in honor of the extraordinary pro bono services provided by Paul Hastings and the firm’s commitment to serving veterans.

Paul Hastings has worked with the NVLSP for decades, taking on many systemic and individual pro bono matters that affect veterans and their families. The firm has represented veterans on a pro bono basis before the Board of Veterans appeals, as well as military correction boards for veterans seeking a discharge upgrade and veterans seeking to challenge wrongful personality disorder discharges. Paul Hastings lawyers have also advised veterans on Combat-Related Special Compensation matters and medical retirement matters.

The NVLSP noted the firm’s work over the last decade in seeking the overturning of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit ruling in Haas v. Peake that statutory presumption of exposure to Agent Orange did not apply to 90,000 Navy Vietnam veterans. Dating back to 2008, the firm authored multiple pleadings to overturn the ruling, and in 2019 the Federal Circuit overruled the 2008 Haas decision in Propicio v. Wilkie. As a result, 90,000 veterans who served in the territorial waters of Vietnam are now entitled to the statutory presumption that they were exposed to Agent Orange.

Paul Hastings has also represented the NVLSP in other major litigation, including a 2018 amicus brief in Gray v. O’Rourke urging the Supreme Court to overrule a Federal Circuit decision that deprived veterans of the right to directly challenge the legality of VA rules.

The firm has also participated in NVSLP’s Lawyers Serving Warriors pro bono program since 2009, and the firm’s volunteer lawyers have taken on more than 100 cases.

At Paul Hastings, our purpose is clear — to help our clients and people navigate new paths to growth. With a strong presence throughout Asia, Europe, Latin America, and the U.S., Paul Hastings is recognized as one of the world’s most innovative global law firms.