The Veterans Consortium (TVC) is pleased to announce two newly elected members of the Executive Board who join a distinguished group of veteran advocates championing TVC's mission of ensuring veterans receive excellent pro bono legal representation.

Ms. Lanita Morgan and Mr. Lee Gardner, join the TVC Executive Board as Directors, effective immediately. As Directors, they will be responsible for guiding and enhancing the success of TVC's mission and monitoring the activities and impact of the organization.  As veterans themselves, we are confident they will bring their personal experiences and unique perspectives to the Board and positively impact our future connections with our volunteers, supporters, and our veteran clients. 

Ms. Lanita Morgan is currently a senior associate at Lathrop GPM LLP, where she specializes in litigation and dispute resolution, tort litigation and organizational misconduct. She served in the U.S. Navy from 2003 to 2008 as a second-class petty officer operations specialist with surface warfare and air warfare qualifications.  Ms. Morgan was stationed on USS Essex LHD-2 out of Sasebo, Japan and USS Oscar Austin DDG-79 in Norfolk, Virginia.

Ms. Morgan received her Bachelor of Arts in Iberian and Latin American Cultures at Stanford University and her Juris Doctor from Michigan State University College of Law.  While at Stanford, she served as the financial officer of the Stanford Undergraduate Veteran Association.  As the financial officer, she engaged in transitional help for incoming veterans, GI Bill assistance, advising and counseling, campus orientation, morale and welfare and general support for the undergraduate veteran population.  Prior to law school, Ms. Morgan served as an intern at the District Attorney's Office for San Mateo County, California.  Ms. Morgan has prioritized pro bono as part of her practice throughout the years and her considerable talents will now be put to use in advancing the TVC's mission.

Mr. Lee Gardner is a patent attorney for Google and has decades of experience practicing computer, intellectual property, and open source law.  He also has dedicated significant time in his practice to a variety of pro bono cases, including matters related to family law, immigration, landlord-tenant, and veteran's claims. 

Mr. Gardner has strong ties to the veteran community and commitment to military service is engrained in his family's DNA.  Before his legal career, he was a submarine officer in the U.S. Navy, on USS Olympia (SSN-717), Pearl Harbor, HI.  In addition, his father was a U.S. Navy corpsman who served with the Marines in Operation Desert Shield, and two of his younger brothers served in the U.S. Army in Iraq and Afghanistan.  Mr. Gardner earned a Bachelor of Science in Computer Systems Engineering from Boston University and a Juris Doctor from the Georgetown University Law Center.

Ms. Morgan and Mr. Gardner are joining a dedicated team of advocates who share the same values and commitment to veterans, their families, caregivers, and survivors. We are very fortunate to have them both on the TVC team.

"I enthusiastically welcome Lanita and Lee on behalf of the TVC Executive Board and thank them for continuing their service to our country by volunteering their time and experience to help us increase the impact of The Veterans Consortium's mission," says William S. Foster, Jr., Chairman of TVC's Executive Board. "We look forward to working with them to ensure that our nation's defenders receive the care, benefits and compensation they were promised and the best legal services, free of charge, to meet their challenges."  

The Veterans Consortium Pro Bono Program (TVC) is a leading national 501(c)(3) charity providing free legal services in federal venues for veterans in need. TVC operates a federal Veterans Pro Bono Program on behalf of the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims to represent pro se veterans denied care, benefits, or compensation earned from military service.  Our TVC Discharge Upgrade Program? represents service men and women before military Discharge Review Boards and Boards of Correction for Military Records.                

For more information about TVC, how to get involved, how to support the organization and our national outreach initiatives please visit our website, www.vetsprobono.org or contact TVC via email at outreach@vetsprobono.org.