Volunteer Lawyers for Justice (VLJ) is proud to feature Michael Kondria as its November Volunteer of the Month. Michael is Assistant Counsel-Environmental at PSEG Services Corporation (PSEG) where he practices environmental law and focuses on environmental health and safety matters arising from federal, state and local laws and regulations.
Michael is an active and dedicated volunteer of VLJ’s Veterans Legal Program. Shortly after starting with PSEG, Mike started volunteering with VLJ’s Veterans Legal Clinic where he has provided legal assistance to Veterans to restore their driver’s licenses and address their child support matters. After volunteering at one clinic, Mike has been steadfastly dedicated to the work.
Mike shared that he has always “admired the courage of our nation’s military men and women, and I am forever grateful for the sacrifices they make for our everyday freedoms.” It is because of this admiration and respect for our veterans that he “seek[s] meaningful opportunities to give back to the veteran population.” Mike feels he has found such an opportunity through VLJ and PSEG’s Veterans Legal Clinic. Mike is also proud to support other nonprofits that focus on military and veteran’s causes.
The COVID-19 crisis has not stopped or diminished Mike’s commitment to providing pro bono assistance to our veterans. He has provided a dozen hours of remote legal assistance to two clients. Mike was inspired by one veteran in particular and admired their perseverance and desire to right past wrongs. He said he felt honored to play a small part in the transformation of this person’s life.
Mike’s commitment to veterans is clear, as is his dedication to pro bono work. He believes that volunteering is important because “everyone should have access to and receive competent, compassionate and fair legal representation, irrespective of past transgressions or current situations, especially those who risked their lives protecting others and defending our country.” He says, “Volunteering with VLJ has proved both professionally and personally rewarding; on the professional front, I enjoy supporting veteran clients on matters that look and function very differently from those that I handle as an environmental attorney, while, on the personal front, I value the opportunity to get to know my veteran clients, listen to their stories and thank them for their service.”
We are so grateful to Mike for his dedication to VLJ and our Veteran clients. He is most deserving of this recognition. Thank you, Mike!