Celebrating Over 75 Years of Serving Nevada’s Legal, Business, Government, and Civic Communities
10th Anniversary of Nevada Attorney General’s Office of Military Legal Assistance
In February 2015, Attorney General Laxalt assembled an advisory committee to help create the Office of Military Legal Assistance and he announced its launch on November 19, 2015. The OMLA is the first, Attorney General-led public-private partnership program offering military communities access to pro bono civil legal services. OMLA provides legal assistance and representation to active duty, reserve and National Guard service members in civil law matters, including consumer fraud, military rights, immigration, landlord/tenant, predatory lending and creditor/debtor issues, and wills and powers of attorney. During OMLA’s ten year history, many McDonald Carano attorneys have provided pro bono services to Nevada military service members, including Karyna Armstrong, James Bradshaw, John Fortin, Pat Lundvall, Rory Kay, Philip Mannelly, and Michael Whittaker.
McDonald Carano Attorneys Helped Create OMLA – The committee that advised on establishing the OMLA consisted of 14 military advisors and 24 members of Nevada’s legal community. Josh Hicks and James Bradshaw were two of only four attorneys on the committee representing private practice law firms. James served the U.S. Air Force and the Nevada Air National Guard for more than 24 years, retiring as a Lieutenant Colonel. He received the Distinguished Flying Cross and Air Medals for service during Operation Desert Storm. In addition to both the President and Chairman of the Nevada Military Support Alliance being members of the advisory committee, NMSA also donated substantial resources to help fund and launch the OMLA. For more than 20 years, Pat Lundvall has been a member of NMSA’s Board of Directors since its founding in 2003.
Advisory Committee Members – Members of the advisory committee included representatives from the various military components in Nevada, National Association of Attorneys General, Nevada Military Support Alliance, Nevada Department of Veterans Services, Nevada Justice Association, Boyd School of Law, statewide and local legal aid centers throughout Nevada, state and county bar associations, and partners from private law firms throughout the state. The complete list of advisory committee members is available here. Josh Hicks was a member of the law firm of Brownstein while serving on the advisory committee.
OMLA Mission: “The Office of Military Legal Assistance is dedicated to supporting our brave men and women in uniform who have sacrificed much in service to our state and nation. It is a common misconception that service members have unfettered access to legal services as a result of their military service. The reality is that JAG Officers cannot represent service members in the majority of civil matters. This lack of provided legal representation leaves service members with the only option of hiring private attorneys. With the creation of this program, service members stationed or living in Nevada can call the Office of Military Legal Assistance, and if eligible, receive free legal representation with the only expense to the service member being court filing fees.”
Accessing OMLA: “Nevada active duty, National Guard, and reserve service members in need of legal assistance should contact their local Judge Advocate General’s Office for referral to this program. Veterans should contact their local Veterans Service Officers through the Nevada Department of Veterans Affairs. For more information about how to receive assistance or participate in the program, visit the website at NVAGOMLA.nv.gov or click here.”
About McDonald Carano
In 2024, McDonald Carano celebrated its 75ᵗʰ Anniversary of serving Nevada’s legal, business, government, and civic communities. More than 60 lawyers and government affairs professionals serve Nevada, national, and international clients from our offices in Reno, Las Vegas, and Carson City. McDonald Carano provides transactional, litigation, regulatory, and government affairs services to startups, corporations, private companies, trade associations, nonprofits, public entities, high-net-worth individuals, and family offices throughout Nevada. We are deeply committed to supporting local communities by volunteering our time, resources, and services, including pro bono legal services, to nonprofit organizations, charitable foundations, and public service entities. We are proud to be your Nevada law firm since 1949.
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