Stetson Law’s commitment to veterans grows with new Advanced Veterans Advocacy Clinic
With the creation of the Veterans Advocacy Clinic in 2014, Stetson University College of Law firmly established its commitment to veterans and created an opportunity for students to gain real world experience by representing disabled veterans seeking benefits before the Department of Veteran’s Affairs. Since that time, students and staff attorneys with the Clinic have helped nearly 100 clients and secured more than $2 million in back pay benefits for them.
Stetson Law now offers an Advanced Veterans Advocacy Clinic to expand on that work, provide the next level of service, and create an even deeper learning experience for law students.
“The Advanced Clinic is an opportunity for students who have experience working at the agency level of the Department of Veteran’s Affairs to represent veterans at the United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims,” said Professor Stacy-Rae Simcox, director of Veterans Law Institute and Veterans Advocacy Clinic.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, located in Washington, D.C., is one the most recently established federal courts. Consequently, new case law is being created every day. This new law then needs to be implemented at the agency level, which can be difficult to accomplish. Students in the Advanced Veterans Advocacy Clinic handle and potentially argue their cases on appeal.
“Usually, Advanced Clinic students have already had the Veterans Advocacy Clinic experience,” said Christine E. Cerniglia,associate professor of Law and director of Clinical and Experiential Education. “The work here feels very different … that appellate work is quite different than building the case.”
Students in the Veterans Advocacy Clinic dedicate more than 6,000 hours of pro bono legal work on cases each year. Many have used their clinical experience as a springboard to future careers. To date, 11 graduates have gone on to the Judge Advocates General Corps (JAG), and more than 20 alumni are now practicing veterans law in some way, whether that be at U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, legal aid, veteran law non-profit organizations, or in law firms.
“It’s incredible to see students learn from this experience,” Simcox said. “They know how important it was to somebody. They’ve actually seen it up close and get to experience what it’s like being a lawyer, sitting at someone’s shoulder, and working together.”
Post date: Oct. 1, 2020
Media contact: Kate Bradshaw
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