Maidie Oliveau and Tom Jeffry Discuss Pro Bono Work for the Special Olympics World Summer Games

Arent Fox counsel Maidie Oliveau and partner Thomas Jeffry were interviewed by the Daily Journal for their work with the Special Olympics World Games. As the pro bono counsel and secretary to the board for the 2015 Special Olympics World Summer Games Organizing Committee, Maidie has spearheaded the legal work associated with organizing the 2015 Special Olympics World Summer Games, which are currently being held in Los Angeles. Maidie, who has worked with the Olympic movement since 1983, elaborated, “We’ve been doing corporate governance work, sponsorship work, getting an agreement with ESPN and all the issues related to that, the opening ceremony, the health care, the labor. Everything.”

The Special Olympics is the largest public global health program serving individuals with disabilities, reaching 1.3 million athletes worldwide, as well as more than 100,000 health care professionals who have learned training throughout the event. Tom added, “Because some of these athletes are coming from places where their health care services aren’t being met, we’re able to provide them with this program, where they’re being screened for health care, or vision, or dental. Whatever they need.”

The Special Olympics presented a unique challenge to our health lawyers:  to create a temporary, large scale integrated health network to provide for the care and treatment of the 7,000 + athletes while they are in Los Angeles for the World games. As part of this task, Arent Fox health lawyers prepared agreements to coordinate the services of multiple providers – including Kaiser, UCLA Health, USC and Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, facilitated the registration of out of state health volunteers to participate in the Healthy Athletes health fair, and advised on the exchange of health information between providers to coordinate care to the athletes. Counsel Susanna Hathaway Murphy coordinated much of the health-related work for the event.

Arent Fox was the biggest contributor of pro bono hours to the 2015 Special Olympics World Summer Games.