Latham Wins Pro Bono Partner of the Year Award

Latham & Watkins was honored to receive the Pro Bono Partner of the Year Award from Swords to Plowshares, a community-based, not-for-profit veteran service organization that provides wrap-around care to more than 2,000 veterans, regardless of era of service or discharge status, in the San Francisco Bay Area each year.

“As lawyers, we feel privileged to do what we do on behalf of those most in need, including current and former service members,” said partner Scott Joiner, who accepted the award on the firm’s behalf. “Latham has a very strong ethos of giving back in the communities where we live and work, and maintains one of the world’s largest pro bono programs.”

Latham has worked with Swords for many years, including representing Swords in a petition for rulemaking and in two lawsuits regarding Character of Discharge (COD) regulations issued by the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). These regulations determine whether a veteran with “bad paper” is eligible for VA benefits. Historically, the VA’s COD regulations have kept out veterans whose discharges followed their experiences of racism, sexual trauma, and combat-related post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). As a result, veterans most in need were denied crucial VA care. In April 2024, as a result of Latham’s efforts, the VA published revised COD regulations, which could make it easier for some veterans to access the benefits and care they had previously been denied.