American veterans have made unimaginable sacrifices to protect American freedom. The Gary Sinise Foundation (GSF) mobilizes all its resources to ensure that severely wounded veterans, their families, and their caretakers are equipped with the critical tools that allow them to live full and active lives.

McDermott Will & Schulte represents GSF, a 501(c)(3) serving veterans, first responders, and their families, in relation to its R.I.S.E. program. The program builds 100% mortgage-free, specially adapted smart homes for catastrophically injured veterans and provides home modifications, mobility devices, and adapted vehicles to wounded, ill, and aging veterans.

The McDermott Will & Schulte team helps with the entire portfolio of documents required for veterans to participate in R.I.S.E., and to receive their houses and related benefits. We handle all legal work surrounding the purchase, building, and transfer of the homes built through the program. McDermott Will & Schulte also provides ongoing legal support in other key areas.

McDermott Will & Schulte tax partner Andi Mandell has a longstanding relationship with GSF and has been providing pro bono support since its inception in 2012. When she joined the firm in 2020, McDermott Will & Schulte continued and expanded support of the foundation by dedicating additional firm resources and introducing a cross-practice group of attorneys to the pro bono team.

McDermott Will & Schulte is wholly committed to GSF’s mission and to ensuring that the veterans participating in the R.I.S.E. program continue to have the independent counsel they need.

“Under the R.I.S.E program, the Gary Sinise Foundation builds customized smart homes for our nation’s first responders and veterans who have made an unimaginable sacrifice to themselves and their families. These heroic men and women run head-first into danger so that the rest of us don’t have to and have suffered catastrophic injuries while doing so. The least we can do is honor their sacrifice by helping the Gary Sinise Foundation provide a home they can return to, a home that helps them restore independence and support empowerment.”
– Andi Mandell, tax partner, McDermott Will & Schulte