Pursuing Justice Podcast Episode 38: “When they hear that you're a veteran, it’s an immediate connection. They know that I can understand what they’re talking about … because I lived through it too.” – Monica De Martin
The veteran population is aging rapidly, and many senior vets need legal assistance with end-of-life planning, including wills. Monica De Martin, Director ‒ Counsel, Internal Investigations at Société Générale and a veteran of the Australian Royal Navy, and Peter Kempner, Legal Director and Senior Law Project Director with Volunteers of Legal Service (VOLS), talk about how pro bono assistance benefits these vets — and creates meaningful experiences for volunteers.
This podcast provides a behind-the-scenes exploration of pro bono and public interest legal work. These heartening stories are told from both clients’ and lawyers’ perspectives to showcase intimate portraits of lawyers helping those with limited access to justice.
Please note: CLE is not offered for listening to this podcast, and the views and opinions expressed within represent those of the speakers and not necessarily those of PLI.
FEATURED IN THIS EPISODE
Monica De Martin
Monica De Martin is a Director and Counsel at Société Générale in the Americas, responsible for conducting complex internal investigations. Prior to joining Société Générale she was Head of Investigations and Whistleblowing for Barclays Americas. Ms. De Martin moved to New York from Tokyo, where she worked as international legal counsel at Mitsubishi Heavy Industries as a commercial contract negotiator. Ms. De Martin also previously served as a Lieutenant in the Royal Australian Navy as a Legal Officer, where she held a variety of posts, including seeing active service onboard HMAS Kanimbla during the Gulf War, and also serving as a Military Prosecutor. Ms. De Martin was named to the Volunteers of Legal Service Dean’s List in 2022 and was recognized for her “exceptional service modeling corporate pro bono.” Ms. De Martin holds a Bachelor of Laws with First Class Honours from Queensland University of Technology, Australia.
Peter Kempner
Peter Kempner, Esq., is the Legal Director at Volunteers of Legal Service (VOLS), where he has worked since May 2018. Mr. Kempner oversees VOLS legal and pro bono programs.
He received his J.D. from the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law at Yeshiva University in 2001, where he received the 2001 Public Interest Graduate Award. He received his B.A. in Political Science from the State University of New York College at Purchase in 1996, and he received an M.A. in Political Management from the Graduate School of Political Management at George Washington University in 1998.
Mr. Kempner was admitted to the New York State Bar in 2002, and is admitted to practice in the Eastern and Southern Districts of New York and accredited to practice before the United States Department of Veterans Affairs.
Prior to working at VOLS he worked at Brooklyn Legal Services from September 2001 until May 2018. Mr. Kempner was a Senior Staff Attorney and Government Benefits Specialist in the Comprehensive Rights/HIV Unit from 2001 until 2011, where he provided general legal services to HIV positive clients. In May 2011, Mr. Kempner helped create the Veterans Justice Project at Brooklyn Legal Services. He became Director of the Veterans Justice Project and Deputy Director of the Housing Unit in March 2015.
He served as a member of the Social Welfare Law Committee of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York from 2007 until 2013, and served as the Chairperson of the Committee from 2013 until 2016. He has been a member of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York’s Military and Veterans Affairs committee since 2019. He served on the Advisory Committee to the Brooklyn Veteran Treatment Court from 2012 until 2018. He was a member of the New York State Bar Association’s Committee on Veterans from 2013 until 2017 and rejoined the committee in 2020. He has served as co-chair of the New York State Bar Association’s Pro Bono Coordinators Network since 2023. He has also served as co-chair of the New York Veterans Law Working Group convened by Fordham University’s School of Law since 2019. He has served on the Law Help NY Advisory Committee since 2021, and has been a member of the Public Interest Pro Bono Association (PIPBA) since 2020. In 2022 he was appointed by the Chief Judge of the State of New York to serve on the Attorney Emeritus Advisory Council.
Mr. Kempner is also an adjunct clinical professor at New York Law School, where he created and has co-taught their Veterans Justice Clinic since 2015. In 2022, he received the Legal Services Award from the Association of Bar of the City of New York.
