Volunteer Thank You Celebration

 

Thank You for Fighting for Veterans Rights!

Veterans Consortium volunteers and supporters like YOU are the backbone of our organization, and we're so grateful for everything you do for our nation's Veterans.

We would LOVE to thank you in-person at our annual Volunteer Thank You Celebration on Thursday, April 30 at The National Guard Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C.!

When: Thursday, April 30, 2026, 5:30 PM - 7:30 PM EST

Where: National Guard Memorial Museum

One Massachusetts Ave, NW Washington, DC 20001

RSVP TODAY!

Questions? Email Leila.Hashemi@vetsprobono.org

Veterans Claims Corner
Oral Argument Schedule

Every month, the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims (CAVC) reviews cases that address veterans' benefits, disability claims, and appeals related to service connected issues.

Watching both the live and the archived videos provides viewers with a deeper understanding of how successful attorneys craft oral arguments, and reveals how the judges frame their questions to better understand the key issues at play.

Watch live online on their YouTube channel here.

Upcoming Arguments*:

• Edwards v. Douglas A. Collins Wednesday, April 15
• Le v. Douglas A. Collins, Thursday, April 16

*The docket is subject to change.

View the Docket

Available Pro Bono Cases

We have veterans that NEED YOUR HELP!

Get your team trained to start taking cases for Veterans in need.

Trained Veterans Consortium volunteers receive the following:

• Three training booklets
• A free copy of the Veterans Benefits Manual
• A mentor who specializes in veterans' law

Interested?

Email volunteer@vetsprobono.org about upcoming trainings or to schedule a training for your firm.

Thank you for Volunteering with The Veterans Consortium!
We'd love to spotlight your pro bono spirit and volunteerism.

If you've helped a Veterans Consortium Client:

• Appeal a denied claim
• Restore their honor
• Get a medical review
• Achieve citizenship through service

Share your story!

Camera Shy and Need Convincing?
Check out the great work our volunteer attorneys and supporters from Shook, Hardy & Bacon L.L.P, Philip Morris International, and Blank Rome LLP are sharing with the world.

Take a look at the videos here!

 

Honoring & Serving Our Veterans: Successful Outcomes

Congratulate our volunteers on their big wins!

Click the links below and give them kudos for their great work. Tag us & add #theyfoughtforus so we can share your shoutout.

Want to see your name down there? Email volunteer@vetsprobono.org to become a Veterans Consortium volunteer

U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims
Law Firms
Black and Jones Attorneys at Law

• Stephanie Seibold

Butzel Long

• Kristina Pedersen

Law Office of Christopher Aldo Porco, PLLC

• Chris Porco

Law Office of Colin Carriere

• Colin Carriere

Dorsey & Whitney LLP

• David Brenier
• Charles Pults
• Eric Weisenburger

Law Office of Edward Noonan

• Edward Noonan

Hach & Rose, LLP

• John Blyth

Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP

• Soumya Kandukuri
• Julia Tabat
• John Tienken

Robert Walters
Kamia Williams

Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer US

• Mark Baghdassarian
• Jeffrey Eng
• Aaron Frankel
• Jenna Fuller
• Brittany Penn
• Elisa Santos
• Carlos Tirado

Law Office of James R. Booth

• James Booth

Jones Day

• Dominic Edwards
• Jennifer Lohnes

Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP

• Eric Kracov

Mayes Law Office

• Thomas Mayes

Law Office of Nicholas L. Phinney

• Nicholas Phinney

Pokalsky Brozek LLP

• Ann Pokalsky

Shook, Hardy & Bacon L.L.P.

• Jennifer Artman
• Taylor Markway
• Shreya Ramchandani
• Homer Ramsey
• Daniel Robertson

Unruh Law, P.C.

• Judy Donegan

Solo Practitioners

• Gina Holness

Veterans Law Practitioners
Girard & Centonzio Veterans Disability Lawyers LLC

• Javier Centonzio
• Jamie Frank
• Grace Paul

Just Law

• Mike Just

The Veterans Consortium

• Lilah Avery
• Nancy Jones

Universities and Legal Clinics

Cornell Law School Veterans Law Practicum

• James Hardwick

NOVA Southeastern University Shepard Broad College of Law

• James Heaton

Discharge Upgrade Program

Alston & Bird

• Sean Sullivan

Perkins Coie LLP

• Pamela Jo Anderson
• Cole Cribari
• Evan Molineux
• Nicholas Surprise

Shook, Hardy & Bacon L.L.P.

• Laura Lawson
• Lucia McMurray
• Hillary Thomas

The Veterans Consortium

• Christie Bhageloe

University of Florida Veterans and Servicemembers Legal Clinic

• Judy Clausen

Veterans Naturalization Assistance Program

T-Mobile

• Alex Espinoza

Thank You to our Legal Assistance Program's Clinic Volunteers

AOP Health

• Shradha Jaiswal

Barry University Dwayne O. Andreas School of Law

• Madison Holcombe

Blank Rome LLP

• Patrick Collins

Catholic University of America Columbus School of Law

• Olivia Fergerstrom
• Khadijah Torah

Comcast

• Diana Rockelman

Cooley LLP

• Scott Deutsch

Duane Morris LLP

• Anna Sheridan

Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky, & Popeo

• Kevin Ainsworth
• Nakia Arrington
• Sharzaad Borna
• Madeline Campbell
• Maimouna Diarra
• Jordyn Flaherty
• Pietro Juvara
• Edmund Koundakjian
• Antony Novom
• Tamar Pinto
• Joshua Rudin
• Emma Sansom
• Sneha Shenoy
• Jessica Zeng
• Judy Zhang

Uber

• Nic Benincasa
• Jessica Klinger
• Saerona Yu

Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP

• Azra Baksic

US Federal Government

• Sean Fahey
• Genette Gaffney
• Rachael Warden

*Successful outcomes for their Veterans Consortium clients as of February 15, 2026.

 

Case Law Updates

United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims (Court)

Skaar v. Collins 25-4066

• Decided January 22, 2026
• The Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims (Court) denied the Veteran's petition for a writ for mandamus. The Court held that the Veteran was not entitled to extraordinary relief because he is still able to appeal a final decision from the Board of Veterans’ Appeals (Board) and there is no unreasonable delay in the Board's ruling.

Westphal vs. Collins 23-5171

• Decided January 22, 2026
• The U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims (Court) affirmed the Board of Veterans’ Appeals’ (Board) denial of entitlement to Special Monthly Compensation (SMC(k)) based on loss of use of a creative organ. The Board held that the Appellant already receives one SMC(k) award for loss of use of one creative organ and that 38 U.S.C. § 1114(k) does not permit more than one SMC(k) award for the loss of use of more than one creative organ.

U.S. Court of Appeals for Federal Circuit

Holstein v. Collins 23-1451

• Decided January 30, 2026
• The Federal Circuit affirmed the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims’ (Court) holding which denied additional attorney’s fees. The Court held the Veteran’s Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) claim and neck claim was not related to the same “case” and as a result his previous attorney could not collect additional fees.

Cash v. Collins 24-1811

• Decided February 5, 2026
• The Federal Circuit reversed the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims (CAVC) decision holding that a veteran satisfies 38 U.S.C. § 7113(c)’s evidentiary “submission” requirement when he timely and clearly identifies and relies on evidence already in the Board of Veterans’ Appeals (Board) possession. The Court held that duplicative re-submission of the same evidence is not required under the Appeals Modernization Act (AMA).

Hamill v. Collins 24-1543

• Decided February 4, 2026
• The Federal Circuit vacated the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims (Court) decision dismissing a request for class action and class certification (RCA) in consideration of a Veteran's petition for a writ of mandamus to compel the VA to adjudicate a character discharge claim based on mootness. The Federal Circuit held that under the Appeals Modernization Act (AMA), a veteran's claim can no longer be implicitly denied.

Click Here to Read the Full Summaries

CONTACT US if you or a veteran you know needs legal assistance with:

• Appealing a Denied Claim
• Upgrading a Discharge
• Citizenship through Service
• Women Veteran-specific issues

Please Note: For family law, landlord tenant disputes, medical malpractice, etc., we only provide legal advice through our D.C., Maryland, and Virginia clinics.

Veterans elsewhere can visit the Stateside Legal website to access other local legal resources.