State of Illinois and The John Marshall Law School to Help Veterans Obtain Benefits

A generous grant from the State of Illinois Department of Veterans' Affairs (IDVA) Veterans Cash fund has helped establish The John Marshall Veterans Legal Support Center (center) and Clinic (clinic). The clinic will be the first law school clinic dedicated to veterans issues in the United States.

Launched by Governor Blagojevich, Lt. Governor Pat Quinn and Illinois Lottery in February 2006, Veterans Cash is the Illinois Lottery's first lottery ticket where 100 percent of proceeds go to support Illinois veterans. Proceeds from the sale of this ticket are deposited into an interest bearing account in the State Treasury called the Illinois Veterans Assistance Fund. The Illinois General Assembly appropriates this money solely to IDVA who will award the money in grants, fund additional services or conduct research relating to veterans' Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, homelessness, health insurance costs, and disability benefits.

The idea for the center and clinic was spearheaded in 2006 by four John Marshall students, when then third-year student Michael Abramson, 2006-2007 president of the John Marshall Student Bar Association, brought the idea to Military Law Students Society members. During the 2006-2007 academic year, then third-year student Ryan Coward and then second-year students Michael Barnicle and Nicholas Henry worked tirelessly to organize the center and clinic. The students' vision was to "educate, facilitate and advocate on behalf of veterans in order to ensure the accurate and timely filing of medical and education benefit claims."

Today, Coward, a May 2007 graduate of John Marshall, is interim director, and third-year students Barnicle and Henry are helping staff the center.

Brian Clauss, a John Marshall graduate and arbitrator and mediator in Chicago, is an expert who lectures and writes extensively on military and veterans issues. Clauss, who will serve as executive director of the center and clinic, applauded the students for their initiative, focus and sheer drive to get the center and clinic started.

"This great group of students identified a problem and figured out a way to solve it. They figured out a plan of attack, went to the right people, organized it and are getting it off the ground," he said.

The clinic has received support from the private sector as well. As the first private supporter of the center and clinic, LexisNexis has donated computers for student use in the center and clinic; has expanded the scope of the John Marshall student research IDs for students that volunteer to do research for the center and clinic; and will, when appropriate, provide LexisNexis employee volunteers to support the work of the center and clinic.

Additionally, LexisNexis has donated a printer and use of the Time Matters^® software. Time Matters^® is the legal profession's most widely used practice management software. It helps attorneys manage and organize day-to-day information and documents by client and matter, with centralized scheduling, legal document management, global search capability, conflict checking and more.

Student founder Henry, who has completed two tours of duty in Iraq with the U.S. Marine Corps, says that the LexisNexis donation has provided the students with powerful tools to expedite the research and education of veterans advocates and "[the students] will be able to hit the ground running to provide quicker and more accurate information to those we've trained as advocates for Illinois veterans."

The center and clinic's initiatives are three-fold. First, John Marshall clinic

members will be qualified to train future Chicago attorneys who seek to help returning veterans on a pro bono basis. Second, clinical students will regularly research updates to current laws and developments in the veterans benefits field, which they will disseminate to a pro bono network of attorneys. Finally, students in the clinic will also organize and facilitate Continuing Legal Education events to keep all pro bono attorneys on the cutting edge of current information in the veterans benefits area.

The first training will involve 30 attorneys and 10 to 15 students who have been recruited by the Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Professionalism (commission), the Illinois State Bar Association Committee on Military Affairs and John Marshall's veterans center and clinic. Volunteers will be trained Oct. 5 by Ronald B. Abrams, director of Outreach and Education Components for the National Veterans Legal Services Program, to train others to properly represent veterans in their claims on a pro bono basis.

Abrams has conducted more than 100 training sessions for various veterans service organizations, state and county departments of veterans affairs, state bar associations and many other veterans advocates. He has spoken extensively on veterans law; is the editor of the "Veterans Advocate," a quarterly publication on veterans law and advocacy; is author of the Basic Training Course in veterans Benefits; and is co-author of the 2004 edition of "The Veterans Benefit Manual: An Advocate's Guide to Representing Veterans and Their Dependents."

The commission will sponsor and underwrite the training course. Funds for the training will be contributed through the commission by Illinois lawyers from their annually-required registration fees.

To be eligible to attend this "Train-the-Trainers" course, an attorney must commit to training other attorneys in the state and to support veterans on a pro bono basis.

Those who complete the training will learn the rules of veterans benefit administration as well as the key aspects in training other attorneys in their Illinois geographic location.

LexisNexis is also providing a significant discount on the purchase of 100 copies

of Abrams' book, "The Veterans Benefit Manual: An Advocate's Guide to Representing Veterans and Their Dependents," which will be used by the volunteer attorneys and students of the center and clinic during this and future training sessions.

Coward says it is a privilege to be involved in the culmination of the efforts of his fellow students, faculty and other concerned members of the legal community and public and private institutions. "We look forward to instructing students in the clinic program on how to represent veterans and get them the benefits to which they are entitled," he added.

John Marshall Dean John E. Corkery, who is a member of the Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Professionalism, provided a link between the law school and the other legal organizations who have joined forces in these efforts. "We are excited we've created a learning environment at The John Marshall Law School where students are supported in their extracurricular and volunteer efforts that will not only make them better lawyers through practical experience, but also will provide much-needed legal assistance to our veterans."

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Faculty, Staff May Nominate Freedom Award, DSA Honorees

Nominations from faculty and staff are being accepted for The John Marshall Law School Alumni Association Freedom Award and Distinguished Service Awards. The honors will be presented at the annual luncheon May 2, 2008.

The Freedom Award is given in honor of outstanding contributions to freedom in today's society. The nominee does not have to be a John Marshall graduate. The Freedom Award honors a person, who through their thinking, accomplishments or profession reflects the basic tenets of freedom.

The Distinguished Service Award is given in recognition of outstanding achievement in a career field or personal endeavor. The selection committee will consider those who have excelled in the practice of law, in government service, or as members of the judiciary. Outstanding accomplishments in community service, business, the military, the clergy, education, literature, the arts or significant donations of time and talent to the law school. To assure a fair process in selecting Distinguished Service Award recipients only current timely nominations will be considered by the committee.

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Student Activities

September 10

The Catholic Law Student Association will meet at noon in room 529.

The Russian Speaking Organization will meet at 5 p.m. in room 217.

The Entertainment Law Society will meet at 5 p.m. in room 532.

The Elder Club will meet at 5 p.m. in room 216.

Dean Powers Student Advisory Committee will meet at noon in room 201.

The Brehon Society will meet at 5 p.m. in room 217.

"Welcome Back Day" for all students will be held in the student lounge at noon and 5 p.m. Refreshments will be served.

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Schedule of Events

September 10

• IP Master Class on Patent Law and Practice in China, Room 1103, 9 a.m.
• Faculty Executive Committee Meeting, Room 1105, 11 a.m.
• BEEP Bar Essay Exam Program, Room 216, 11:30 a.m.
• Insights I, Room 409, 12 p.m.
• Faculty Assembly, Room 503, 12:15 p.m.
• Center for Intellectual Property Law Dinner Honoring Dr. Lulin Gao, Chicago Room - The Standard Club, 6 p.m.

September 11

• IP Master Class on Patent Law and Practice in China, Room 1103, 9 a.m.
• Executive Compensation Institute - 409A Compliance - co-sponsored by the Center for Tax Law and Employee Benefits, Chicago Bar Association , 9 a.m.

September 12

• Foundation Open House, 11th Floor East Conference Room, 8 a.m.
• IP Master Class on Patent Law and Practice in China, Room 1103, 9 a.m.
• BEEP Bar Essay Exam Program, Room 216, 11:30 a.m.
• Visiting Professor Neville Cox Lecture, Room 1200, 12 p.m.
• CSO: Solomon Info Sessions, Room 1103, 12 p.m.
• Board of Trustees, Courtroom, 12 p.m.

September 13

• IP Master Class on Patent Law and Practice in China, Room 1103, 9 a.m.
• BEEP Bar Essay Exam Program, Room 201, 5:30 p.m.

September 14

• IP Master Class on Patent Law and Practice in China, Room 1103, 9 a.m.
• Foundation Golf Invitational, Hickory Hills Country Club, 11:30 a.m.
• Cook County Minority Student Reception, 3East, 5:30 p.m.

September 15

• Chicago Prosecutorial Symposium, Room 1200, 8:30 a.m.
• BEEP Bar Essay Exam Program, Room 200, 9:30 a.m.
• Insights I, Room 409, 12:30 p.m.

September 16

• Bar Exam Savvy Test - BEST, Room 1103, 9 a.m.

September 17

• Faculty Scholarship Roundtable Series with Emily Buss, University of Chicago, Room 3East, 12 p.m.
• Insights I, Room 409, 12 p.m.
• CSO: Lunch with a Lawyer Series, Room 526, 12 p.m.
• Library & Computer Policy Committee Meeting, Room 110, 12:15 p.m.

September 18

• Veterans Legal Support Clinic Program, Room 529, 12 p.m.

September 19

• Avoiding the Headline Making Case: How to Handle Internal Investigations in Employment and Labor Law, Room 1200, 12 p.m.
• RIPL Training, Room 522, 12 p.m.
• Center for International Business and Trade Law Information Session, Room 503, 12:45 p.m.
• CSO: Careers in Real Estate, Room 529, 5 p.m.
• Center for International Business and Trade Law Information Session, Room 503, 5 p.m.

September 20

• Herzog Lecture in International Law, Room TBD, 12:15 p.m.
• CSO: Government Agency Career Expo, CBA 800, 4:30 p.m.

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