Veterans Appellate Clinic (5211)

This Clinic allows students to represent disabled veterans and/or their survivors before the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims (CAVC) in disability compensation appellate cases. Students will have the opportunity to obtain appellate litigation experience while performing pro bono service. Students will learn the expectations, methods and technical aspects of representation before the CAVC.

The CAVC Clinic will integrate administrative law and forensic medicine and will require students to interview, investigate, research and develop the law and facts so as to pursue appeals by writing and filing the opening briefs and reply briefs for the Appellant. The Clinic will discuss litigation strategy, Rule 33 Conference Hearings, Court rules, electronic case filing and issue framing. Potential appeals to higher courts will also be analyzed. Some cases handled by the students may involve oral argument before a three judge panel at the CAVC and the opportunity to create new precedent.  The Court is relatively new and many issues are still of first impression.

Interns will meet weekly for the classroom component and are obligated to spend an average of nine office hours per week on their cases. This work will sharpen analytical skills and allow the students to become more confident in their interaction with clients and in their successfully pursuing appellate claims in the CAVC.

Numerically graded.