Veterans Initiative - O’Melveny Salute
O’Melveny has a long history of supporting and advocating for veterans and military families. Our internal veteran advisory group, O’Melveny Salute, has more than 50 members representing all branches of the military.
Led by Lee Blalack and Edward Hickey, O’Melveny Salute commits to partnering within the firm and externally to assist with the most pressing needs of our veterans and military families. Our approach includes on-campus recruiting and joining career fairs for the specific purpose of recruiting more veteran lawyers and staff to the firm, providing pro bono legal assistance to veterans and military families, and volunteering our time and resources to support veteran-specific non-profits.
In the past two years, O’Melveny has taken on more than 35 pro bono assignments, including hosting clinics in our offices and virtually, specifically for veterans. Considering the sacrifices our service members and their families have made for our freedom, O’Melveny Salute is our small way of expressing our appreciation.
Please see the carousel below for more information on our work with veterans.
Virtual Pro Bono Clinics for Veterans
COVID-19 hasn’t stopped us from making good on our commitment to support veterans through our pro bono clinics. With our virtual clinics, we continue to provide legal services to veterans in need. We have teamed up with the L.A. County Bar Association and the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles to assist veterans with clearing their records and to provide legal education and assistance to veteran entrepreneurs developing small businesses.
Veterans Team Up to Fill Backpacks for Kids in Afghanistan
Teams from O’Melveny, Apollo, KKR, FedEx, Blackstone and Carlyle Group compiled 1,000 backpacks stuffed with toys, handwritten notes and school supplies, to be sent to children in war-torn countries who cannot attend school without school supplies.
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Hiring Our Heroes
Command Sergeant Major Marvin Hill; O’Melveny’s Director of CSR & Alumni Relations, Rochelle Karr; General (Ret.) David H. Petraeus; and O’Melveny’s Director of Human Resources, Steph Bradshaw, at the Hiring Our Heroes Veteran Job Fair in Washington, DC.
A Free Clinic Helps Veterans Clear Their Records
O’Melveny hosted more than 15 veterans at a free legal clinic at its downtown Los Angeles office. More than 40 lawyers and dozens of volunteers from O’Melveny, Wells Fargo bank, video game company Activision Blizzard, U.S. VETS, and the L.A. County Bar Association worked with the veterans to clear their records and get their lives back on track. Lawyers assisted veterans with expunging tickets and warrants for minor infractions—like running a stop sign, jaywalking, or failing to appear in traffic court. Along with receiving legal counsel, the veterans also attended a self-help workshop, dinner, and reception.
On-Campus Recruiting
O’Melveny Salute, our veterans advisory group, hosts bi-coastal on-campus veteran recruiting events in partnership with local law schools’ veterans’ groups.
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