O'Melveny's 2018-2019 Pro Bono Review

O’MELVENY PRO BONO PROGRAM REVIEW 2018- 2019 30 Establishing the UK Investment Fund O’Melveny represented Social Finance, a nonprofit that tackles social problems in the United Kingdom and beyond, by establishing an innovative investment fund that the founders hope will lead to a new business model for charities. The fund, for example, will back initiatives that help cancer sufferers access the best services for their needs, while also stimulating development and community-based models of care. This is the first fund venture for Social Finance, which had handled only social-impact bonds previously. The organization hopes the fund Representing Nonprofit Organizations The pro bono work at O’Melveny is not limited to litigation. Our corporate lawyers lend their skills to a variety of nonprofit organizations, representing and advising charitable entities so that they can pursue their missions to serve their communities. can be used as a model for how charitable organizations can use externally managed funds to meet their goals. Ensuring Children Have Access to Mental Health Care The Staten Island Mental Health Society (SIMHS), a critical provider of mental health services to Staten Islanders, was facing bankruptcy and liquidation. With O’Melveny’s help, SIMHS was able to keep its doors open through a complicated and year-long merger agreement with another Staten Island health provider. “I’ve been fortunate that pro bono work has found me,” says Brian Kenyon, counsel in the Los Angeles office. A corporate lawyer with extensive experience in real estate finance and development, Brian has found that his skills translate seamlessly to assisting nonprofit organizations with their real estate transactions. For example, Brian is currently working with the YMCA to negotiate a lease that would allow it to build an educational facility on its property in Los Angeles. At the same time, he is helping the organization negotiate the sale of a parking lot to finance the restoration of another property. Brian PRO BONO SPOTLIGHT Brian Kenyon is also advising LAMP Community, a Los Angeles–based nonprofit that provides housing, job opportunities, and mental health services to homeless people. With Brian’s help, LAMP Community secured a lease in an urban location critical to its mission, where people will receive counseling and job-skills training. Brian has also represented the Treetops Collective, a Michigan-based organization that helps women refugees settle in the US, providing housing and teaching them a trade in the textile industry. Recently, Brian advised Treetops on its acquisition of a building in Grand Rapids that will become the organization’s permanent base of operations. Refugees will live in apartments in the facility temporarily, while they put down roots in Western Michigan. Of pro bono work, Brian says, “It’s a growth experience for everyone involved because you’re able to learn, explore, experiment, research, and bring others in.”