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November 2021 Peek at Pro Bono - Advocating for Veterans

by Jeff Roberts

Recently, I was asked what motivates me to take on pro bono cases on behalf of veterans. Put simply, giving time to causes with which I have a personal connection doesn’t feel like work—it just feels like my life. My great-grandfather, grandfather, and father all served in the U.S. armed services. My grandfather, Capt. H.S. Roberts, piloted planes over the North Atlantic during World War II, accomplishing the distinction of being the first pilot ever that forced a German U-Boat to surrender to an attacking aircraft. My father, H.S. “Scotty” Roberts flew helicopters in Vietnam, taking bullets through his cockpit windshield while he rescued twenty soldiers and flew them to safety.

I came very close to joining the JAG Corps as an attorney until a girl and a job took me on another path (to be sure, a good one!). But my desire to serve our country’s military, and continue my family’s tradition, never left me. That’s where the Veteran’s Legal Institute came in to help close the missing piece in my life. VLI provides pro bono legal services to veterans and gave me the perfect intersection to use my law degree while serving our U.S. military service members.

In my first case from VLI, an auto dealership told a veteran that her car had been stolen while in for service, but the dealership offered no proof it was stolen, no police report, and no compensation for the veteran’s loss. Several lawyers gave up on the case before the veteran turned to VLI. We filed suit and commenced a social media campaign exposing the dealership’s mistreatment of the veteran. The case resolved shortly thereafter and the veteran got a brand new car that she desperately needed. Afterwards, she told me I had changed her life.

Another case concerned a veteran and his wife who were subject to a fraudulent default judgment on a lawsuit that was served while the veteran was deployed out of country and his wife was away from their home. Of note, the process server wrote on the Proof of Service that he served a “white woman in her 40s.” Unbeknownst to the veteran and his wife, a judgment was entered for $50,000 several years earlier and had ballooned to $80,000 when collection efforts commenced in the midst of COVID-19.

The Servicemembers Civil Relief Act prohibits service of process on an active duty service member while deployed, which when presented to the court, negated the judgment against the veteran. However, the judgment as to the wife was not vacated. I had to request an in-person appearance with my client at the height of COVID-19 in court to show the court that the veteran’s wife was not a “white woman” as stated by the process server, but rather was a Black woman. The court vacated the judgment and dismissed the case, a total victory for the veteran and his wife.

I tell people about my passion for working with veterans not to pat myself on the back, but rather to engender in others a desire to use their talents, knowledge, and background to help others in a specific area that has meaning in their lives. When VLI’s director, Antoinette Balta, told me that I had been selected as VLI’s Attorney of the Year, while very honored, my first reaction was there are so many others out there helping veterans that deserve this recognition. Having Antoinette and the VLI Board designate me as their lawyer of the year allows me a little platform to speak out on behalf of VLI and recruit more attorneys to volunteer their time to this great organization. I am particularly looking forward to having my father, Capt. Scotty Roberts (ret.), attend VLI’s Lawyers for Warriors event this month and sharing with him my service to his fellow U.S. military veterans.

This month, Veteran’s Legal Institute will honor me for volunteering for pro bono cases that help veterans. Lawyers for Warriors will be held on November 8, 2021, at the Center Club in Costa Mesa. If you missed it, you can still volunteer to help veterans. I know I want to continue doing what I can for people who have sacrificed part of their lives to serve our country.

Jeff Roberts founded Roberts Jeandron Law, a top personal injury firm in Newport Beach. He can be reached at jroberts@robertslawfirm.net.

Peek at Pro Bono is an occasional column that offers insight into meaningful pro bono work being done by an Orange County lawyer.