Hewlett-Packard Company in partnership with Morgan, Lewis & Bockius and the National Veterans Legal Services Program
Corporate Pro Bono is proud to present the 2013 CPBO Pro Bono Partner Award to the Hewlett-Packard Company (HP) in partnership with Morgan, Lewis & Bockius and the National Veterans Legal Services Program (NVLSP) for their impactful, innovative, and sustained partnership in support of veterans. The partnership showcases an extraordinary commitment to pro bono service, highlights the growth of pro bono within the legal profession, and demonstrates the value of a focused effort to serve a unique community in need.
A Signatory to the Corporate Pro Bono ChallengeSM , HP’s legal department, composed of more than 400 attorneys and 600 staff members, engages more than 50 percent of its global team in pro bono legal services. The department’s program is both expansive and sustainable, adopting a strategy of thinking globally and acting locally. Committed local leaders on the ground at core sites have expanded the program into 34 countries throughout six continents, and engage in projects that include litigation, research, education, and transactional pro bono.
In 2008, Morgan Lewis and NVLSP filed suit in Sabo v. United States alleging that approximately 4,300 Iraq and Afghanistan veterans were illegally denied benefits. After partial resolution granted class members expedited access to review boards, attorneys were needed to provide counseling for class members interested in having their claims reheard. In response to this need, HP partnered with Morgan Lewis and NVLSP to develop a signature pro bono project for the HP legal department’s U.S. staff.
Initially, HP supported the project by having volunteers from its legal department provide critical legal support as well as develop a knowledge management system to grant volunteers remote access to confidential documents of clients who were geographically dispersed. Through this management system, the partnership guided more than 150 clients through the application process.
Now, after the suit’s permanent settlement, the partnership continues to provide substantive legal advice to members of the Sabo class who are eligible for Combat-Related Special Compensation. In 2010, the partnership also launched a unique pro bono project to engage more non-lawyer legal personnel in its efforts. The project involved reviewing and summarizing files from the Board of Veterans Appeals for veterans who sought pro bono assistance.
In total, nearly 200 dedicated volunteers including attorneys and other professionals from HP’s legal department have donated more than 3,000 hours in support of veterans.
HP’s commitment to pro bono is exemplified through its successful and sustained partnership with Morgan Lewis and NVLSP. This partnership exhibits HP’s unwavering commitment to helping those who have served their country, as well as a targeted focus on assisting veterans through a collaborative and innovative set of projects. Working together, the partners’ focused efforts have aided hundreds of veterans in need of assistance. CPBO congratulates HP, Morgan Lewis, and NVLSP for their collaboration and invaluable impact on veterans.