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Penn State Law expands team working in legal clinic for veterans and servicemembers


UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State Law launched its new Veterans and Servicemembers Legal Clinic last spring to train law students to provide legal representation to veterans and current servicemembers in some specialized and complex areas of statutory and regulatory law, and to advocate on behalf of veterans and those serving in the military on policy matters at both the state and federal level.

Because of the great response from the community to the announcement of the Veterans and Servicemembers Legal Clinic last spring, and the clinic’s increasing workload, the law school recently appointed Michele Vollmer as director of the clinic, and added a research assistant to expand the team working on cases for veterans and servicemembers.

Clinical Professor Michael Foreman, director of clinics and experiential learning and the Civil Rights Appellate Clinic at Penn State Law, continues to work on cases for the veterans clinic, and provides expertise on employment discrimination, appellate practice, and policy advocacy. As a result of the depth of his experience, the clinic has been consulting on cases involving the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994 (USERRA) since its inception.

Foreman and Vollmer recently spoke about the clinic’s work at the Big Ten’s third annual Committee for Institutional Cooperation's (CIC) Military and Veterans Services Peer Group on October 7. Representatives from the 14 Big Ten schools shared best practices and current developments at the conference.

“We are fortunate to have Michele Vollmer to lead and expand the clinic,” said James W. Houck, interim dean of Penn State Law and retired U.S. Navy vice admiral and judge advocate general. “Michele has a passion for our veterans and a deep appreciation for their service. Her experience working for the SEC for 11 years in both the Enforcement Division and the General Counsel’s Office ideally suits her to teach our law students how to represent veterans before the Department of Veterans Affairs. Michele’s recognition by the Justice Department for her tireless work on the Enron investigation is indicative of the drive and determination she will expend on behalf of veterans.”

Three members of the clinic, including Justin Bish, a third-year student at Penn State Law and a first lieutenant in the Pennsylvania Army National Guard, recently briefed the Pennsylvania House of Representatives Veteran Affairs and Emergency Preparedness Committee on the types of cases the clinic is handling and the history of how the clinic was started at an Aug. 19 meeting at the Nittany Lion Inn on Penn State’s University Park campus. The clinic members reported on the success they have had in working with Centre County Veterans Affairs Director Brian Querry.

Querry has referred veterans’ cases to the clinic when he needs legal expertise, and particularly when he sees a series of denials of disability benefits relating to the same legal issue. In this way, by representing a few clients before the Board of Veterans Appeals, the clinic has been able to perform research and develop arguments that will apply to a much larger number of veterans and have a broad impact in Centre County and the surrounding region.

On Sept. 16 and 17, members of the clinic were invited to attend the Pennsylvania Department of Veterans Affairs’ annual continuing education course for county employees who act as local representatives for veterans and file claims on their behalf. By making contacts with these local Veterans Service Officers across Pennsylvania, the clinic hopes to receive more referrals of appeals that are complex and difficult and likely to have a broad impact on the rights of veterans in Pennsylvania.

Members of the clinic also recently received training from the Veterans Consortium Pro Bono Program in Washington, D.C., and joined the National Law School Veterans Clinic Coalition. Additionally, this semester, clinic students are representing a veteran in his appeal before the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims.

The clinic continues its efforts to connect with Penn State student veterans, and veterans and servicemembers from the surrounding community. On Sept. 1, the clinic participated in the seventh annual Forum for Student Veterans coordinated by Penn State’s Division of Student Affairs. The clinic also attended Penn State’s Military Appreciation Tailgate Resource Fair in the Bryce Jordan Center prior to the kickoff of the Oct. 3 Penn State football game against Army.

For more information on the Veterans and Servicemembers Legal Clinic, visit its website or email veteransclinic@pennstatelaw.psu.edu.

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