The City Bar Justice Center Holds Its 7th Annual Veterans Day Breakfast and Ethics CLE

On November 11, 2022, the City Bar Justice Center hosted its 7th Annual Veterans Day Breakfast and Ethics CLE to support the work of the Veterans Assistance Project (VAP), which also happens to be celebrating its 15th year of operations. In addition, the program honors the VAP community – our dedicated staff, volunteers who contribute significant time and resources to provide pro bono services, and clients, New York veterans who served our country.  

Over 70 advocates, including pro bono attorneys and partners, attended the “Ethics of Representing Veterans & Survivors Before the Department of Veterans Affairs” program led by Makedah Salmond, Director of VAP. The hybrid ethics CLE training fostered conversation around the ethics and qualifications of becoming an accredited attorney while exploring four primary ethical components of VA Practice.   

Through VAP’s partnership with 45 law firms and corporate legal departments, and over 240 trained pro bono attorneys, the project has provided 2,000 veterans with counsel and representation. In recent years, VAP secured more than $8.2 million in retroactive benefits in addition to nearly $430,000 in ongoing disability benefits for clients. As of September 2022, approximately 143,732 claims for VA disability compensation and pension are backlogged. This means almost 145,000 veterans in the U.S. may not have  access to financial or health benefits for essential care.  

Recognizing the need for legal assistance and the justice gap, we look forward to collaborating with volunteers, pro bono, and community partners to address the evolving needs of our clients.  

A special thank you to our 2022 Veterans Day event sponsors for their continued support! 
$5,000 level sponsors 

• American International Group, Inc. 
• Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP 
• Kirkland & Ellis LLP 
• Proskauer Rose LLP 

 $2,500 level sponsors                                 

• Bloomberg Philanthropies 
• Chubb 
• Cravath 
• Dechert LLP 
• Mizuho Financial Group, Inc. 
• Morgan Stanley 
• Ropes & Gray 
• Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP 
• UBS 
• Weil

 $1,000 level sponsors 

• Covington & Burling LLP 
• DLA Piper
• Seyfarth Shaw LLP