Reed Smith LLP

The American Lawyer

Big firms build Veteran Groups across offices for community service, pro bono

Firms such as Reed Smith and Kirkland & Ellis are ramping up their pro bono and community outreach efforts for military veterans, often seeking attorneys and staff with service records to lead the charge.

Page d'accueil Actualités Big firms build Veteran Groups across offices for community service, pro bono
For Reed Smith partner Jesse Miller, some of the same character traits that help him as a corporate litigator at a large law firm have also helped him succeed in the military.
United States Army rangers on the sunset

Miller is a decorated colonel in the Army National Guard who is currently the brigade commander for the 115th Regional Support Group to the California Army National Guard, where he leads more than 1,000 soldiers. Over his career in the armed forces, Miller, who is in San Francisco, has served in Yugoslavia, Iraq and Afghanistan and has provided support in multiple natural disasters, including the recent California wildfires.

“There’s a certain synergy between what we do in the military—in terms of planning, having a mission and getting things done—and what we do for clients,” Miller said. “It’s important to be candid and direct, and not wishy-washy—both in interactions with clients as well as what I do as an infantry officer.”

And while working full-time as a trial attorney, he leads the firm’s Veterans Inclusion Group, known in Reed Smith as RS Vets. Reed Smith said the 75-person group, formed in  2017, brings attorneys and staff together who have served in the military, have family members of friends who served in the military or who are interested in supporting military and veteran-related issues. 

Download the PDF below to read the full article, written by Samantha Stokes.