We were recognized with an award for our work at the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims
We participated in service activities, where we assisted homeless veterans
We coauthored and filed amici briefs to the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit and the Supreme Court of the United States
We were invited to participate in important conversations with the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims and congressional staff
This past year has been an exciting one for the Stetson University College of Law Veterans Law Institute.
In June, the Veterans Law Institute (“VLI”) received our first appropriation from the State of Florida to support the work our students do to help veterans every day. This four hundred and thirty-eightthousand-dollar grant will help the Veterans Advocacy Clinic pay for medical evaluations of our clients, support outreach in the local veterans community, and allow us to hire a new attorney dedicated to serving veteran clients.
In May, Stetson Law graduated four Veterans Clinic alumni who have already been hired by law firms working in veterans law. We also have three other May 2024 Veterans Clinic alumni who are headed off to serve in the JAG Corps’ of the Army, Navy, and Coast Guard.
This year, Stetson Law consolidated the administration of our students’ VA education benefits with Johnny Pruiett, the Assistant Director of the VLI. This allows for our veteran students and eligible family members to work with a dedicated and trained staff member who can walk them through their education benefits options and answer any questions they may have.
The Veterans Advocacy Clinic received the inaugural “Legal Scholars Award” presented by The Veterans Consortium Pro Bono Program for the work our students and staff
do to help veterans at the United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims. I traveled to Washington, D.C. with our Associate Director, Morgan MacIsaac-Bykowski, to accept the award and celebrate alongside several members of our alumni and former VLI Director, Judge Michael Allen.
Staff at the VLI also presented at several conferences, to include the United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims Bar and Bench conference in Baltimore, Maryland.
We have also had two alumni, Trista Miller ’11 and Simon Lloyd ‘18, volunteering regularly in the Veterans Advocacy Clinic to help on our cases and mentor the law students.
Finally, I am honored that this year also included a personal and professional milestone. This summer marks my tenth year as the Director of the Veterans Advocacy Clinic and my seventh year as the Director of the Veterans Law Institute. It is through the support of so many of you that the Clinic continues to help our nation’s heroes seek the benefits they have earned while simultaneously training law students to be compassionate and zealous advocates.
THANK YOU!
In May, Stacey-Rae Simcox and Morgan MacIsaacBykowski provided a CLE presentation to members of the National Organization of Veteran Advocates (NOVA). They discussed a case where Professor Simcox and students were able to prove that a veteran’s multiple sclerosis was caused by the pesticides he sprayed weekly at a Naval Facility in the Bahamas. The veteran passed away before his case was concluded, but his widow received over $1m in backpay, which covered the veteran’s end of life nursing home care.
This past fall, Stacey-Rae Simcox was invited to Capitol Hill to participate in the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs Subcommittee staff-led roundtable session. The group discussed appeals at the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims.
Military Friendly® is the standard that measures an organization’s commitment, effort and success in creating sustainable and meaningful benefit for the military community.
The Military Friendly® Schools survey is the longestrunning most comprehensive review of college and university investments in serving military and veteran students.
Due to the efforts of the Veterans Law Institute and other student-facing offices across campus, Stetson University College of Law maintained its designation as a Gold Level Military Friendly School. In addition, we were also recognized for the first time as a Military Spouse Friendly School, also with Gold Level designation.
We are so proud of Stetson Law for maintaining and expanding our dedication to our servicemembers and their families.
The nonprofit Equal Justice Works has announced that it has chosen Spring '24 graduate and VLI alumnus Meghan Carter to join the Stetson University Veterans Law Institute as a fellow!
In this role, which is co-sponsored by Deere & Co., Lane & Waterman LLP and Riley Safer Holmes Cancila LLP, she will be representing veterans who have served our country and received less-than-honorable discharges after experiencing PTSD, traumatic brain injury, and/or military sexual assault. This work assists veterans in obtaining the full range of benefits, including education and healthcare - and we know her contributions will transform the lives of veterans.
Victoria Tamayo, class of ’19, and Grace Paul, class of ’23, returned to the VLI and spoke to the students about their path from law school to careers in veterans law and what their day-to-day work lives are like. They gave students advice about working with clients, writing effectively, and setting themselves up to be solid candidates for post-graduate jobs.
Immediately following graduation this past May, our teaching assistant Eric Post and his family joined us at the VLI, where he took the United States Uniformed Services Oath of Office, administered by Judge Michael Allen. Upon graduating, Eric was promoted from Petty Officer 2nd Class to Lieutenant and will begin work as a Judge Advocate following the bar exam. We could not be prouder of Coast Guard LT Eric Post!
Kristen McConnell, a veteran and Stetson Law graduate who spent several semesters working at the VLI, including as a teaching assistant, was featured in her local news, The Virginian Review, in an article highlighting her work representing veterans.
K. McConnell Legal, PLLC: Veterans Disability Claims and Appeals opened its doors in January 2022 in Clifton Forge, Virgina. As a veteran herself, she knows how difficult it can be to obtain the benefits veterans have earned. Her goal is to maintain a personal touch and make clients feel important because they are.
The National Law School Veterans Clinic Consortium's biennial conference was held on June 13 and 14, 2024. We are excited to announce that Morgan MacIsaac-Bykowski was presented with the Tom Reed Award for Information and Advice, which is awarded to a member who exhibited extraordinary commitment to assisting advocates at other schools in providing legal services to veterans and servicemembers.
Together with the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims (CAVC) Bar Association’s law school outreach committee, Morgan MacIsaac-Bykowski helped to organize a panel discussion, where prominent representatives from the CAVC, VA, a private firm, and a large nonprofit discussed how clinicians can best set their students up for success in getting hired after graduation.
WE DRAFTED AND FILED AMICI BRIEFS TO THE U.S. COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE FEDERAL CIRCUIT AND THE SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES.
In Hamill v. McDonough, we discussed how the lower court’s treatment of the implicit denial doctrine conflicts with the Appeals Modernization Act, which implemented higher standards for VA decisions.
In the joint case Bufkin v. McDonough/Thornton v. McDonough, we explained that judicial review is required regarding the VA’s application of the statutory “benefit of the doubt” rule, where evidence is weighed in favor of veterans when it is approximately balanced.
OUR STUDENTS, WHO VOLUNTEERED TO RESEARCH AND DRAFT THESE BRIEFS, GAINED VALUABLE EXPERIENCE IN FEDERAL APPELLATE LAW.
In October, the Veterans Law Institute and the Homeless Advocacy Internship co-hosted a pro bono activity at the annual Pro Bono Fair. With the help of over 40 student volunteers, we packed bags of necessities for local veterans experiencing homelessness. We were able to drop off four boxes of these bags at the Bay Pines VA Hospital, where they were distributed to veterans in need. Thank you to everyone who helped with this project!
In February, our Associate Director Morgan MacIsaac-Bykowski and clinic student Hanah Walker spent a day at the Bay Pines VA Stand Down Event. Volunteers provided food, clothing, and health screenings to homeless veterans. Veterans also received referrals for housing solutions, employment, and mental health counseling. The VLI helped veterans navigate legal referrals and took applications for our services.
Our summer fellows donate 250 hours of their time volunteering with us during the summer months. We appreciate their desire to selflessly give back to veterans through this work!
I understand how stressful and time consuming it can be to navigate the claims process with the VA. I knew working with the VLI would be the perfect opportunity for me to support the men and women who protect our freedoms while simultaneously learning essential legal research, writing, and communication skills.
The summer fellowship is a great opportunity to advocate for those who gave the biggest sacrifice for our country. The Veterans Law Institute is also a comforting space to learn and grow your legal skills, while having the support of fellow students and professional supervising attorneys.
The VLI summer fellowship is an excellent opportunity to interact directly with clients, learn more about the VA claims and benefits processes, and hone legal research and writing skills, which are critical to the legal profession.
At the VLI, I have the opportunity to effectively advance client object gathering facts and devising strategic plans to achieve them I am learning navigate administrative law while developing my writing skills with briefs and a
I decided to spend my summer volunteering at the VLI because I'm hard pressed to think of anything more meaningful than assisting our nation's veterans. The VLI's clients are salt-of-the-earth people who have experienced hardship through their service, and hearing their stories and helping them has been an absolute honor.
