Ronald Smith, former deputy general counsel for the Disabled American Veterans, joined Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner on Monday to work on pro bono matters.
The Disabled American Veterans will refer certain veterans to Finnegan for free representation before the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.
Finnegan, a firm known for its intellectual property practice, formed the arrangement with the Disabled American Veterans for two primary reasons, according to Smith: First, many of Finnegan’s IP cases are also reviewed by the Federal Circuit, and second, Finnegan has helped veterans in the past, as when it volunteered assistance in 2007 to veterans suffering the widely-criticized conditions at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center.
In his new position, Smith will help review between 500 and 600 decisions that deny a veteran's claim and determine whether to appeal. At the firm, he will be handling only pro bono representation of veterans.
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