Pro Bono Report (Summer 2014)

In the decade immediately following the Vietnam War, about 1,500 U.S. military reservists flew cargo and medical missions aboard C-123K aircraft—unaware that the planes they worked, ate, and slept in had been contaminated with dioxins from Agent Orange.

This spring, DWT’s New York office hosted and staffed a one-day “Pop-Up Clinic,” providing free legal consultation for fashion designers, aspiring entrepreneurs, and fashion industry professionals. The event was organized by associate Lisa Keith, who matched nine DWT attorney volunteers with their clients.

DWT partner Chris Helm was recognized this spring for his remarkable dedication to serving immigrants with a 2014 Governor’s Volunteer Service award. He was honored at an event in April at the Executive Mansion of Washington state governor Jay Inslee.

Until this spring, Oregon was the only state in the U.S. without an organization dedicated to actively investigating wrongful convictions in criminal cases. That has changed with the establishment of the Oregon Innocence Project, which DWT first-year associate Kimberly McCullough has helped to initiate.

Monitoring of police activities in public spaces by the media and the public has become an essential part of holding police departments accountable. Numerous cases of brutality and inappropriate action have been brought to light in recent years through the presence of journalists and members of the public, armed with cameras and exercising their First Amendment rights.