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Emory Law's Volunteer Clinic for Veterans builds on success

Lisa Ashmore |
Emory Law's Volunteer Clinic for Veterans
Clinic leadership
(l-r) Sion New 16L, student co-administrator; Lane Dennard; Charlie Shanor; Christopher Pitts 14L, AmeriCorps Legal Fellow; and Angela Hwang 15L, student co-administrator.

Emory Law’s student-run Volunteer Clinic for Veterans is succeeding in its goal to provide free legal assistance to Georgia veterans and their families.

The clinic was founded in 2013 by students Martin Bunt 14L, Rachel Erdman 14L, Professor Charles Shanor and Lane Dennard. Since then, the clinic has handled 119 cases, which have resulted in $2.5 million in benefits awarded to its clients. So far, 79 Emory Law students and 51 lawyers have volunteered. Some of their victories have been life changing.

  • The Veterans Benefits Administration denied pension benefits for the widow of an Iraq War combat veteran with four minor children. On appeal the clinic argued she was entitled to a pension because her husband’s service-connected disability was a significant contributing cause in his death. They prevailed, and she was granted $2,638 per month. Her children were granted G.I. Bill educational benefits and health care. The serviceman’s widow was also awarded $26,000 in back pay.
  • Another client was a U.S. Army veteran with traumatic brain injury and related disabilities, which were the result of an accident that happened during her service. The ambulance she was driving crashed and overturned. Although she was originally rated at 70 percent disability by the VA, in October 2013 she was notified that her disability rating would be reduced to zero. The clinic appealed, and the result was a 100-percent disability rating, with monthly payments of more than $3,000. She was also granted $76,000 in back pay. The ruling was especially significant because the veteran had lost her home due to her inability to work. The VA award will allow her to purchase a home, the clinic directors say.

“The pursuit of a claim before the VA can be a slow-moving and detailed process,” says Emory Law Professor Charles Shanor, the clinic’s co-director. “In cases with complicated facts or legal issues, veterans may be more likely to succeed when they have legal representation. I am extremely proud of the work done by the clinic’s students and volunteers.” 

The clinic received the 2014 Law School Excellence in Access to Justice Group Award from the State Bar of Georgia Access to Justice Committee. AmeriCorps has supported the clinic by providing funds for two Equal Justice Works Fellows. The clinic also received the 2014 Emory University Most Outstanding Service Volunteer organization award.

  • Shanor is the clinic’s co-founder and co-director. He is a veteran, a Rhodes Scholar and a graduate of the University of Virginia Law School. He is an expert in employment discrimination, constitutional law, national security and counter-terrorism law.
  • Drew Early is the clinic’s co-director. He is a West Point graduate and a retired U.S. Army Lt. Colonel.  He is an expert on VA disability law and teaches a class on this subject each fall at Emory Law as an adjunct professor.
  • Dennard is the clinic’s co-founder and director emeritus. He commanded an infantry company in Vietnam in 1969 and was awarded the Silver Star. He received the 2015 Emory Public Interest Committee (EPIC) Inspiration Award for his work with the clinic.

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