IN THIS ISSUE

• 2018 National Pro Bono Mission Partner Awardees
• Volunteer Inspiring Pro Bono (VIP): Robert Jackson, Esq.
• Executive Director's Corner
• Thank You to Our Latest Sponsors
• TVC is Hiring Two Equal Justice Works AmeriCorps Veterans Legal Corps Fellows

24 August 2018

TVC EXTERNSHIP OPPORTUNITIES!

TVC is seeking an extern to help us win federal appeals cases for our clients. This includes helping with military discharge upgrades ("bad paper" discharges) and assisting with determination of final outcomes of client cases. Externs will receive academic credit.

The extern will support full-time staff attorneys, volunteer attorneys, and clients who appeal to, or receive a remand from the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, the Federal Circuit, and the Supreme Court. The selected extern will assist in the full lifecycle of case management, from intake to research and strategy, to Court mandate and follow-up, to determine real-world results and impact. Although any student may apply, we give priority to rising 3L students. We are open to externships that count for either one course per semester, or two courses per semester, depending on your law school's current arrangements and preference.

Please address the following questions in your cover letter: Why do you want to work in the area of veterans law? What is your motivation to work with veterans and their families, caregivers, or survivors? What sets you apart from other candidates?

SUBMIT A COVER LETTER AND RESUME detailing your interest and motivation to Courtney Smith, at Courtney.Smith@vetsprobono.org. You may also contact Courtney for answers to questions or additional information.

Applications should be emailed by 1 September 2018, for the Fall 2018 semester and 15 December 2018 for the Spring 2019 semester.

IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER

TVC's CAVC Attorney Training
"Pro Bono Representation before the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims"

Seattle, WA

Date: 27 September 2018

Sponsored by:

Foster Pepper PLLC

For any questions or more information, please email Leigh Hillebrand at Leigh.Hillebrand@vetsprobono.org, Coordinator, Volunteer Outreach & Education.

To register or more information, please click here.

CONNECT WITH US

Visit our website at www.vetsprobono.org

2018 National Pro Bono Mission Partner Awardees

TVC is pleased to announce this year’s recipients of the 2018 TVC National Pro Bono Mission Partner Awards. Each of these TVC mission partners will be honored for their pro bono service above and beyond the call of duty for our nation’s veterans and their families, caregivers, and survivors. Awards will be presented at the 2018 TVC Pro Bono Mission Partner Awards Reception & Fireside Chat on Wednesday, 3 October 2018 at the beautiful and historic Union Station in Washington, DC.

We hope you will join us for this special evening as we recognize the following law firms and corporate law departments for their support and pro bono service, especially their volunteers representing veterans before the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, before military Discharge Review Boards, and in our pro bono clinics:

• Quarles & Brady LLP, 2018 TVC Law Firm Pro Bono Mission Partner (National Leadership)
• Greenberg Traurig LLP, 2018 TVC Law Firm Pro Bono Mission Partner Award (Regional Leadership)
• Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP and AT&T Inc., 2018 TVC Law Firm/Corporate Pro Bono Mission Partners Award (National Leadership)
• Blank Rome LLP and VMware, Inc., 2018 TVC Law Firm/Corporate Pro Bono Mission Partners Award (Regional Leadership)

This year, TVC is pleased to add a new category, the Chairman’s Award, for special recognition of sustained volunteer service and mission support. The 2018 TVC Chairman’s Award (Organizational Leadership) will be presented to Butler Weihmuller Katz Craig LLP, and the 2018 TVC Chairman’s Award (Individual Leadership) will be presented to Leo P. Dombrowski, Sanchez Daniels & Hoffman LLP.

"On behalf of our nation’s veterans, we would like to express our profound gratitude for the dedicated volunteer service of our 2018 TVC National Pro Bono Mission Partner Awardees," said Mary Ann Gilleece, Esq., TVC’s Chairman of the Executive Board. "These law firms, corporate legal departments, and individual honorees have demonstrated leadership by example and service above and beyond the call of duty. We congratulate them, while thanking them and their fellow TVC National Volunteer Corps members, for their dedicated service that makes a real difference in the lives of veterans and their loved ones."

Join forces with us as we honor the 2018 TVC Pro Bono Mission Partner Awardees.

Guests will include our TVC National Volunteer CorpsSM from top law firms and corporate legal departments; Federal, State and Local community partners; the veterans we serve; supporters and benefactors.

Click here for tickets and sponsorship information.

Volunteer Inspiring Pro Bono (VIP):
Robert Jackson, Esq.

Robert Jackson, Esq.
Member, TVC National Volunteer Corps

For 39 years, Robert Jackson used his law degree in a variety of settings and locations around the United States. As retirement grew closer, he positioned himself in California where the weather was perfect for golf and running, two of his loves. But when he retired in 2014, Jackson, 72, says he quickly discovered, "I can’t play enough golf or run enough to fill up a day."

Jackson got busy taking pro bono cases and connected with The Veterans Consortium in 2016. Since then, he’s taken on four cases before the CAVC and is impressed with how the Consortium guides TVC National Volunteer Corps lawyers with their cases. "The Consortium has great folks leading you, suggesting a direction you may want to pursue and connecting you with (mentor) lawyers who can help you through the weeds," says Jackson, an Illinois native.

For his exemplary service providing legal help to veterans, Jackson has been chosen as The Veterans Consortium Volunteer Inspiring Pro Bono (VIP) for August 2018. Courtney Smith, Director of Outreach and Education for TVC, says it is great lawyers like Jackson who deliver on TVC’s comittment to veterans. "No matter the case assigned, Robert is always ready and willing to tackle it. His background has prepared him to handle a diversity of cases which makes him a top-notch attorney and a valuable advocate for our nation’s Veterans. We are grateful to have him as part of TVC’s National Volunteer Corps."

As a Vietnam Veteran, it made sense to help his fellow military members, but these cases have also become very personal for Jackson. Like many he works with, Jackson suffers health issues related to exposure to Agent Orange, a powerful herbicide sprayed on forestry and vegetation during the Vietnam War that has been associated with long-term health problems.

"What has been extremely rewarding has been to help veterans with similar issues as me," says Jackson, who served in the U.S. Marine Corps. "I like working with my former brothers in arms and I’m blessed to have the skills as a lawyer to help them. There is an old adage that good facts make good law. The facts in these cases have allowed us to win."

Jackson received his law degree from Syracuse University College of Law in 1976 and worked in a myriad of jobs from staff attorney and legal counsel for several health plans to director and executive director positions for correctional facilities and state criminal justice services. He retired as assistant regional counsel for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Over the years, he has taught law and criminal justice at seven different colleges and universities. Jackson has four adult children and enjoys volunteering with the mens’ ministry at his church.

Executive Director's Corner

Ed Glabus
Executive Director

Every working day, members of our TVC National Volunteer Corps win cases in federal venues for veterans and their families, caregivers, and survivors. This is an amazing track record, and truly makes a real difference in the lives of clients receiving your pro bono services. I want to share two wins from this past Monday as examples of the outstanding results we see every day.

U.S. Court of Veterans Claims: Volunteering from Austin, Texas, the team of Baker Botts attorneys Jennifer Nall and Ryan Clark and Darryl Adams of Adams IP Law won a case for a deserving veteran from Missouri. The value of the settlement was more than $40,000 for the client! This win has helped secure both income stability and peace of mind for this Marine Corps veteran.

Discharge Review Board: Our TVC Discharge Upgrade Program^SM won another a discharge upgrade for a deserving disabled veteran. As a result of a Humvee rollover, this Marine Corps veteran from New Jersey suffered a traumatic brain injury (TBI), which went undiagnosed for almost two years. The injury caused severe headaches, mood swings, and depression (all typical of TBI), which ultimately drove the 21 year old veteran to attempt suicide. Since 2014, he has been wrongfully denied benefits, including treatment and compensation related to his injuries. Operating from Washington, DC, volunteer Alex O’Hara and Danica Gonzalves, Program Manager of our TVC Discharge Upgrade Program^SM, obtained a General Discharge Under Honorable Conditions for him based on his TBI. With his discharge upgrade, he is now eligible for the benefits he needs and deserves, and equally important, his honor is restored.

These are two examples from earlier this week, and they demonstrate the hard work and dedication of so many pro bono attorneys in our TVC National Volunteer Corps. Thank you for all you do to improve the lives of veterans and their loved ones.

Thank You to Our Latest Sponsors

TVC is Hiring Two Equal Justice Works AmeriCorps Veterans Legal Corps Fellows

The Veterans Consortium is hosting two one-year Fellowships to provide essential legal services to our nation’s veterans and their families, caregivers, and survivors starting 1 October 2018. The selected candidates will be a part of a corps of legal Fellows serving in the Equal Justice Works AmeriCorps Veterans Legal Corps Program and will gain hands-on experience delivering a variety of critical legal services—and enabling pro bono representation nationwide—for veterans and their loved ones. Join our team our team and make a real difference in veterans’ lives! To learn more about this opportunity click here.

If you know of anyone exploring a career in public interest law, please forward this opportunity.

#theyfoughtforus

Contact TVC, a national 501(c)(3) charity celebrating 25 years of pro bono legal services to U.S. veterans and their loved ones in federal venues. Our website:www.vetsprobono.org.

Copyright © 2018. The Veterans Pro Bono Program.
All rights reserved.