Holland & Knight Receives Outstanding Services Award from the ABA Military Pro Bono Project for 12th Year in a Row
MIAMI (March 15, 2024) – For the 12th consecutive year, Holland & Knight has been honored with the 2023 Outstanding Services Award by the American Bar Association's (ABA) Military Pro Bono Project. Holland & Knight is the only law firm to receive the Outstanding Services Award every year since its inception in 2012.
In addition, Holland & Knight Partners Rafe Petersen, Adam Hodges, Theresa Wanat and Adrianne Waddell, Of Counsel Jerome Hoffman, and Associates Elliott Beale, Danielle Giaccio and Eli Gordon were individually recognized with the Outstanding Services Award for their "extraordinary pro bono services" in 2023.
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 issues, and it works to place these cases with pro bono attorneys when legal assistance is needed.
To receive the Outstanding Services Award, a law firm or corporate law department must 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 participation in the ABA's LAMP and Legal Services Corporation's Veterans Task Force. In addition, the firm partners with the ABA's Section of Taxation and the IRS to coordinate a Military Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program in various locations.
Holland & Knight is dedicated to providing pro bono legal assistance to military and veteran clients. In 2023, the firm provided more than 5,170 hours of military and veteran pro bono services worth over $4.18 million. Since 2016, the firm has provided more than 42,000 of military and veteran pro bono hours valued at over $28 million. In particular, Holland & Knight has a continuing commitment to representing veterans with mental health conditions such as PTSD and TBI, particularly with respect to U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) benefits and discharge upgrades. The firm also participates in Florida's GI LAW program, which provides pro bono legal services to active duty military personnel in Florida.
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 Kavanaugh, Nicholas Hasenfus or Gordon Griffin.