The John Marshall Law School Veterans Clinic Partners with ABA to Provide Ongoing Veterans-Related Training

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The John Marshall Law School

Apr 15, 2014, 15:35 ET

(PRWEB) April 15, 2014 -- A new monthly series hosted by The John Marshall Law School Veterans Legal Support Center & Clinic (VLSC) will examine numerous issues where military and civilian law intersect. Starting April 16, the sessions will originate in the VLSC, and be provided via webinar, in partnership with the American Bar Association Standing Committee on Legal Assistance for Military Personnel.

The sessions will be one-hour live programs, designed to familiarize lawyer and non-lawyers with the military justice system and military legal assistance programs. The first session – at noon Central, featuring VLSC Clinical Director Thomas White and Grant T. Swinger, bureau chief of the Illinois Attorney General’s Military and Veterans Rights Bureau – will provide an overview of the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ). The speakers will explain the statutes governing active-duty status and eligibility for military legal assistance, as well as address command structures and levels of personnel.

“This partnership with the ABA is hugely important in educating lawyers and laymen about the legal issues affecting our veterans,” VLSC Executive Director Brian Clauss said. “With key support from the ABA, these sessions will help us continue our important work of serving those who served.”
The VLSC is one of John Marshall’s eight clinics that provide law students with practical experience working with clients. Students in the VLSC aid veterans appealing benefit claim denials from the Department of Veterans Affairs.

The ABA-backed sessions are free and lawyers participating in person may be eligible for one hour of CLE credit. The programs also will be archived on the ABA website. The schedule of sessions is subject to change, but currently includes:

April 16
Overview of Armed Forces

May 14
Working with Military and Veterans 101

June 18
Servicemembers Civil Relief Act

July 16
The Uniformed Service Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA)

Sept. 17
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) 101

Oct. 15
Military Sexual Assault (MSA)

Nov. 19
Veterans Affairs benefits part 1

Dec. 17
Veterans Affairs benefits part 2
PTSD claims, MSA claims and discharge upgrades

Jan. 14, 2015
Veterans Court

For more information about individual sessions or to register, go to http://ambar.org/lampcle. To speak with John Marshall’s Brian Clauss, contact Christine Kraly at 312-427-2737, ext. 171 or ckraly(at)jmls(dot)edu

Christine Kraly, The John Marshall Law School, http://www.jmls.edu, +1 (312) 427-2737 Ext: 171, [email protected]