Veterans Legal Support Center Directors & Officers
Joseph Butler - Executive Director / Clinical Professor
Professor of Law Joseph Butler's most recent faculty position is Director of the Veterans Legal Support Center & Clinic (VLSC). Professor Butler supervises law student interns and law student clerks who handle initial inquiries from veterans. He has also been instrumental in establishing and maintaining a network of pro-bono attorneys who handle veterans benefit cases at no charge to clients.
Before being named Director of the VLSC, Professor Butler was Assistant Director at The John Marshall Law School Fair Housing Legal Clinic. In that capacity, he supervised students who have litigated cases before the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, the United States Court of Appeals for the Eight Circuit, the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Illinois Human Rights Commission, the Cook County Commission on Human Rights and the City of Chicago Commission on Human Relations.
Professor Butler has drafted numerous amicus briefs filed in the United States Supreme Court, and several United States appellate courts. Most recently, he organized a national conference at The John Marshall Law School entitled Fair Housing for Persons with Disabilities: New Challenges Presented by Our Returning Veterans. He has lectured before the International Association of Human Rights Agencies, and the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development's National Fair Housing Policy Training Conferences.
In his tenure at The John Marshall Law School, Professor Butler has taught courses in Veterans Advocacy, Administrative Law, Legal Writing and Fair Housing.
Professor Butler earned his undergraduate degree from Eastern Illinois University and his Juris Doctor Degree from The John Marshall Law School.
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Brian Clauss - Executive Director
Brian Clauss is an arbitrator and mediator of labor and employment disputes from Park Ridge, Illinois. As a full-time neutral, he serves on various arbitration and mediation rosters and panels, including the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, the American Arbitration Association, the National Mediation Board, National Railroad Adjustment Board and the Major Case Civil Mediation Program for complex civil cases in Cook County.
Mr. Clauss is a licensed attorney and a graduate of Lake Forest College and The John Marshall Law School. He began his legal career as a felony prosecutor in Chicago and later defended Cook County, Illinois, in labor and employment matters before beginning a practice as an arbitrator and mediator in 2004.
Mr. Clauss is the co-editor of the book for the Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education entitled Military Service and the Law. He co-authored the chapter for the American Bar Association's recent text Preventing and Managing Workplace Violence entitled "Off Duty Conduct." He is a co-author of a chapter for the forthcoming edition of The Labor Law Handbook entitled "Public Sector Employment " and co-authored the chapter update for the Illinois Institute of Continuing Legal Education's Labor Law Handbook entitled "Public Employment." He also wrote the chapter "Called to Duty - Military Activation and the Impact on Labor Relations" in Proceedings of the 2008 Meeting of the National Academy of Arbitrators for the Bureau of National Affairs. Mr. Clauss has written numerous continuing legal education materials to accompany his frequent presentations, including the seminars entitled Employing the Military for the Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education and the Veterans Legal Issues Law Ed Program for the John Marshall Law School and the Illinois State Bar Association.
Mr. Clauss is the author of a number of articles, including "When Employees are Called to Duty" for the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin (October 31, 2008; coauthored with Joseph Butler) and "National Guard and Reserve Activation and Return - The Current and Coming Issues in Labor Arbitration" for the September 2008 edition of The Chronicle, the magazine of the National Academy of Arbitrators. He also wrote "Called to Duty - Advice for Your Clients" for the January 2007 edition of The Young Lawyer, a monthly publication of the American Bar Association; the feature article for the Fall 2005 edition of the Illinois Public Employment Relations Report entitled "Privatization of Public Education Services: The Application of the Doctrine of Successorship in the No Child Left Behind Era"; and "Employees Called to Duty in the National Guard and Reserve - an Overview of the Applicable Federal and Illinois Law," which appeared in the State Universities Civil Service System Quarterly. He co-wrote "Called to Duty in the National Guard and Reserve - An Overview of Federal and Illinois Laws" for the February 2008 edition of the Illinois Municipal Review, "The Public Safety Employee and Employment Litigation: The Effects of Police and Fire Commission Proceedings on the Federal Case" for the Illinois State Bar Association's Labor and Employment Law Committee monthly newsletter; and "Employees Called to Military Duty - an Overview of Military Leave and the Service Member's Rights" for the Illinois State Bar Association's Labor and Employment Law Committee monthly newsletter.
Mr. Clauss is a frequent author and lecturer on labor and employment matters and regularly speaks on the local, state, national and international levels. He is a member of the National Faculty Group for LexisNexis. In addition to his other volunteer activities, Mr. Clauss serves as the Executive Director for the Veterans Legal Support Center at the John Marshall Law School. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the Labor and Employment Relations Association (Chicago Chapter) and volunteers with several other organizations.
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Sean Ryan - Supervising Attorney
Sean Ryan joined the staff of The John Marshall Law School Veterans Legal Support Center & Clinic (VLSC) in August 2010. Sean has been involved with the clinic for almost two years, beginning when he was a clinical intern in May 2009.
Sean is a 2007 graduate from The University of Wisconsin – Madison, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in Political Science. Mr. Ryan is a May 2010 graduate of the John Marshall Law School in Chicago. While pursuing his degree at JMLS, Sean was extensively involved in the JMLS Veterans Legal Support Center & Clinic (VLSC), serving first as a clinical intern, then as Senior Clinical Student and President of the Veterans Law Society. In addition to his experiences at the VLSC, Sean clerked at Hennessy & Roach, P.C., a mid-size, worker compensation firm in Chicago and served as a teaching assistant for Professor Rogelio Lasso's tort law class.
At the VLSC, Mr. Ryan assists with the legal research that supports the VLSC staff, students and Pro Bono Network as well as initiates new projects for the VLSC to address. Mr. Ryan is also a presenter at the continuing legal education programs hosted by the VLSC. Sean recently co-authored an amicus curiae brief on a petition for certiorari to the United States Supreme Court. Mr. Ryan is involved with the newly created Illinois Veterans Treatment Courts at the Cook County Circuit Courts as well as the Federal “Petty Offense” program in the United States District Court Northern District of Illinois.
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Steven Novak - Supervising Attorney
Steven Novak joined the staff of The John Marshall Law School Veterans Legal Support Center & Clinic (“VLSC”) in August 2010. Mr. Novak first became associated with the VLSC as a clinical student in January 2009 while attending The John Marshall Law School.
Steven is a 2007 graduate of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he earned a bachelor's degree in History. Mr. Novak graduated from John Marshall in the Spring of 2010. While a student at John Marshall, in addition to his involvement with the VLSC, he worked at a general practice law firm in Chicago. Mr. Novak is licensed to practice law in the State of Illinois.
At the VLSC, Mr. Novak assists with the legal research that supports the VLSC staff, students and Pro Bono Network as well as initiates new projects for the VLSC to address. Steven is currently authoring a chapter on Veterans’ Benefits in Military Service and the Law, a publication from the Illinois Institute of Continuing Legal Education. He also co-authored an amicus curiae brief on a petition for certiorari to the United States Supreme Court. Mr. Novak coordinates with pro bono attorneys in the VLSC network and lectures on representing veterans in obtaining disability benefits.
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LTC (R) Jaime E. Martinez - Supervising Attorney / Adjunct Professor
LTC (R) Jaime E. Martinez joined the Veterans Legal Support & Clinic (VLSC) in 2010 and is a Veteran having served as an Infantryman in the United States Army and the Illinois National Guard for 26 years. Currently, Jaime is a VLSC Staff Attorney (Disability Benefits), an Adjunct Professor for The John Marshall Law School (JMLS) Veterans Advocacy course, and the Director, Veterans Outreach for the VLSC.
In his capacity as Staff Attorney, Jaime supervises clinical students who handle veteran disability benefit cases, litigates on behalf of veterans, and coordinates legal representation for veterans with the clinic's pro bono network. As the Director of the clinic's Veterans Outreach efforts, Jaime coordinates legal assistance for homeless veterans and veterans residing in nursing homes and assisted living facilities.
LTC (R) Martinez served on the State of Illinois Military and Veterans Treatment Court Task Force Committee that resulted in passage and implementation of the Veterans and Servicemembers Court Treatment Act (730 ILCS 167). Additionally, Jaime was a member of VLSC team that drafted numerous amicus curiae briefs to include: Snyder v. Phelps (01-0975), Witt v. USA (10-885), and Carder v. Continental Airlines, Inc. (10-1546).
LTC (R) Martinez earned an undergraduate degree in Political Science from Eastern Illinois University, and a Juris Masters in Law and Economics and a Juris Doctorate from the George Mason University School of Law. Jaime previously served as a law clerk to the Federal Public Defender for the Eastern District of Virginia and for the Cook County Public Defender, Trial Felony Division (26th and California); he is licensed to practice in Illinois.
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Christopher McElgunn - Legal Staff
Christopher McElgunn joined the staff of The John Marshall Law School Veterans Legal Support Center & Clinic (VLSC) in February 2011. Mr. McElgunn first became involved with the clinic as a legal clerk in May 2008. As a law student, he went on to serve the VLSC as Public Relations Coordinator and as a Research Assistant on the Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education publication, Military Service and the Law.
Christopher is a 2007 graduate of Northwestern University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in philosophy. In January 2011, he received his Juris Doctor from the John Marshall Law School (JMLS), along with a JD certificate in alternative dispute resolution. While pursuing his degree at JMLS, Christopher worked as a legal intern at Loyola University Medical Center and as a project assistant at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. Additionally, he participated in a pilot mediation program in conjunction with the Cook County Circuit Court Law Division. Mr. McElgunn received mediation training and certification at the Center for Conflict Resolution and has mediated civil cases throughout the Cook County Circuit Court system.
Christopher served in the United States Navy and Naval Reserve as a Search and Rescue Swimmer from 1991 through 1999.
At the VLSC, Mr. McElgunn assists with the legal research that supports the VLSC staff, students and Pro Bono Network as well as initiates new projects for the VLSC to address. He is also a moderator at the national veterans law conferences hosted by the VLSC. Mr. McElgunn is involved with the newly created Illinois Veterans Treatment Courts at the Cook County Circuit Courts as well as the Federal “Petty Offense” program in the United States District Court, Northern District of Illinois.
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Erica Hamer - Legal Staff
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Yelena Duterte - Office Manager
Yelena Duterte joined the staff at the Veterans Legal Support Center & Clinic (VLSC) as a clinical student in January 2010 and later served as Lead Clinical Student during the Spring 2011 semester. As a third year law student, her current role is Office Manager for the VLSC. Ms. Duterte graduated from University of Illinois at Chicago in 2007, where she earned a dual degree in Economics and Political Science. Ms. Duterte is expected to graduate from The John Marshall Law School in January 2012.
At the VLSC, Ms. Duterte oversees the legal clerks duties, staffing, and training.
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