Recognizing Law Student Veterans

W&L PROVIDES YELLOW RIBBON FUNDING TO an unlimited number of undergraduate and law students covering their tuition and fees. Currently, 10 W&L Law students receive Yellow Ribbon (YR), GI Bill, or other veteran benefits. In fact, the number of YR students in the law school building has almost doubled with this new first year class.

In addition, W&L Law has an active student organization, the National Security and Military Law Society, which provides a forum for those affiliated with the U.S. armed forces, or those interested in military veterans’ issues, national security strategy, or defense policy. The organization supports our veteran students during their time in law school and connects them with opportunities throughout the Lexington area.

Daniel Throckmorton ’25L says the W&L Law community has been one of the most supportive he has experienced as a veteran pursuing higher education.

“I’m extremely grateful to be learning in an environment where the faculty and staff have been so open and engaging with my military experience and how it can be applied to the myriad fields of study that comprise legal academia,” said Throckmorton. “I come from a background rooted in military intelligence, which has helped me foster an appreciation for detail and nuance that is immensely useful in understanding the nearbyzantine ways in which legal practice is applied in the real world, not to mention some lively discussions when sharing how my own military background has been impacted by legal oversight.”

Veteran law students play an important role in the student body as they offer a different and unique perspective in the classroom and in their extracurricular activities. Brooklyn Hills, a 1L from Westminster, South Carolina, noted, however, that U.S. veterans are not homogenous.

“They come from different political walks, born of different countries, having a different first language than English, together pledging to a country to earn this thing called freedom,” said Hills. “I strive to contemplate the unseen sacrifices that veterans make for our country. Often veterans endure mental pains to fulfill the call to serve. Many have lost a part of themselves through trauma experienced while serving, neglecting their own needs to do things most of us could not fathom as necessary to maintain freedom at home.”

W&L Law recognizes the sacrifices that veterans have made to ensure the protection of our country and are therefore dedicated to making our legal education affordable for veteran students and to partnering with them throughout their legal journey. We are proud of the ways our veteran students have served the United States of America, and we look forward to seeing the impact they will have on the legal field.