Press Release

Update: Pro Bono Initiative for Veterans is Up and Running
"When Duty Calls," a statewide pro bono project for military veterans who are in the initial stages of filing disability claims with the Department of Veterans Affairs, became a reality Tuesday, May 22 when the Young Lawyers Division joined with Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice to host the initial session of volunteer training in the firm's Raleigh office. A daylong clinic for veterans was held at the same location the following day. YLD Division Director Craig Cannon of the firm's Winston-Salem office has served as lead organizer for this program. Click here for more information...

RALEIGH, NC-- Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice, PLLC, today announced the commencement of a statewide pro bono project, "When Duty Calls." Womble Carlyle, in collaboration with the Young Lawyers Division of the North Carolina Bar Association (YLD), will host the program in an effort to provide military veterans with pro bono legal assistance in the initial stages of disability claims filed with the Department of Veterans Affairs.

North Carolina’s growing population of hundreds of thousands of veterans includes numerous veterans who have suffered combat-related injuries or may have other service-related disabilities. These veterans would benefit from legal assistance in filing their disability claims, but their opportunities for receiving it are scant.

Womble Carlyle and the YLD developed When Duty Calls for the purpose of beginning to meet this need by providing a North Carolina resource dedicated exclusively to assisting veterans who wish to file or re-file initial disability claims.

When Duty Calls will recruit licensed North Carolina attorneys (and supervised paraprofessionals, legal support staff, and law students) to provide legal assistance to veterans on a pro bono basis, train those volunteers on the detailed process of preparing and submitting veteran disability claims, and conduct clinics to assist veterans in preparing their disability claims.

Womble Carlyle and the YLD will host their first training session for attorneys in Womble Carlyle’s Raleigh office on Tuesday, May 22nd, from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. The firm will then conduct a day-long clinic for veterans in its Raleigh office on Wednesday, May 23rd, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Womble Carlyle attorney and former General Counsel at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Tim McClain will provide an introduction to the training session and clinic. Others who will assist in the training program are Jack McCoy, VBA Associate Deputy Under Secretary for Policy & Programs; Ron Burke, VA representative from the Winston-Salem regional office; and Michael Taub, an attorney with the Philadelphia Homeless Center who is recognized nationally for his work with disabled veterans. Mr. Taub will also supervise the clinic scheduled for May 23rd.

North Carolina attorneys who are interested in volunteering for When Duty Calls may contact Karin Lennon at kalennon@wcsr.com or 919-755-2100. Veterans who seek legal assistance with a disability claim and are interested in scheduling an appointment during the day-long clinic on May 23rd may contact Karin Lennon at kalennon@wcsr.com or 919-755-2100.

About Womble Carlyle
A full-service business law firm, Womble Carlyle ranks among AmLaw's 100 leading firms in the country and is a top law firm for companies doing business in the South Atlantic and mid-Atlantic states. The firm is a recipient of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund Corporate Leadership Award, making Womble Carlyle the first law firm ever to receive the highest honor given to a business organization in recognition of its support of the Fund and its 45 member educational institutions.

Founded in 1876, Womble Carlyle operates in six states and the District of Columbia with about 550 attorneys in eleven offices located in Atlanta, GA; Greenville, SC; Charlotte, Greensboro, Raleigh, Research Triangle Park, and Winston-Salem, NC; Washington, DC; Tysons Corner, VA; Wilmington, DE; and Baltimore, MD. Womble Carlyle is located in the South Atlantic and Mid-Atlantic regions and draws its client base from across the United States.