Veterans Legal Clinic

Douglas Griswold ’25 on Taking Action to Enforce Protections Already in the Law

For the past several years the Legal Services Center has noticed concerning practices by the companies contracting with medical facilities to provide medical records that appear to be in violation of Massachusetts’ patients’ rights laws.

Douglas Griswold ’25 on Taking Action to Enforce Protections Already in the Law Read More »

Beyond Safety Nets: Sam Holloway ’24 Reflects on Comprehensive Legal Advocacy Outside the Courtroom

By Harvard Law School Student Sam Holloway ’24 The Legal Services Center’s Safety Net Project helps clients with the “social safety net,” but it does a lot more than that, too. Among the Veteran’s Legal

Beyond Safety Nets: Sam Holloway ’24 Reflects on Comprehensive Legal Advocacy Outside the Courtroom Read More »

“The only place that I have learned these things is at LSC, and it is the thing that has reeled me back in for another semester”: LSC Students Reflect on the Value of an Advanced Clinical

LSC Students Reflect on the Value of an Advanced Clinical In November 2023, a little over two months into her advanced clinical semester with the Legal Services Center’s (LSC’s) Consumer Protection Clinic, Annika Reno ’24

“The only place that I have learned these things is at LSC, and it is the thing that has reeled me back in for another semester”: LSC Students Reflect on the Value of an Advanced Clinical Read More »

Knowledge Comes in Many Forms: Alex Zhang’24 “Learns about Life” from Client in Hospice

By Harvard Law School Student Alex Zhang ‘24 The last time I said goodbye to Ted*, he was upright in his hospital bed, swaddled in his blue hospital gown with a wide smile. As I

Knowledge Comes in Many Forms: Alex Zhang’24 “Learns about Life” from Client in Hospice Read More »

LSC’s Margaret Kuzma and Dana Montalto, two of the nation’s leading experts in military discharge upgrade law, will be sharing their knowledge at an online CLE on November 16th.

Veterans Law: Applying for discharge upgrades and appealing negative DOD board decisions   Live Video-Broadcast: November 16, 2023 10 AM – 12:10 PM EST  |  9 – 11:10 AM CST  |  8 – 10:10 AM MST 

LSC’s Margaret Kuzma and Dana Montalto, two of the nation’s leading experts in military discharge upgrade law, will be sharing their knowledge at an online CLE on November 16th. Read More »

Two Veterans—One an LSC Student and the Other a Client Battling Homelessness—Help Each Other in Surprising Ways

By Harvard Law School Student Nathan Lowry Many Legal Services Center (LSC) veteran clients served in America’s wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. In most cases, these veterans deployed years, and in some cases, decades ago.

Two Veterans—One an LSC Student and the Other a Client Battling Homelessness—Help Each Other in Surprising Ways Read More »

Following Court Challenge by Harvard Law School’s Legal Services Center, VA Expands Access to Benefits for LGBTQ+ Veterans’ Surviving Spouses

BOSTON, Massachusetts — Yesterday, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced it is ending enforcement of a marriage duration requirement that discriminates against survivors of LGBTQ+ veterans, including Lawrence Vilord, a client of the Veterans Legal Clinic at the Legal Services Center of Harvard Law School.  This decision will

Following Court Challenge by Harvard Law School’s Legal Services Center, VA Expands Access to Benefits for LGBTQ+ Veterans’ Surviving Spouses Read More »

June 23: “Lunch and Learn – Discharge Upgrade” with LSC’s Veterans Clinic and the Bob Woodruff Foundation

Lunch and Learn: Discharge Upgrade Thursday, June 23 at 12 pm ET | Register About the Event The Bob Woodruff Foundation and the Legal Services Center’s Veterans Legal Clinic are excited to convene national experts

June 23: “Lunch and Learn – Discharge Upgrade” with LSC’s Veterans Clinic and the Bob Woodruff Foundation Read More »

Virtual Event – Mass & Cass and the Crisis of Homelessness: The Interaction of Mental Health, Addiction, and the Law in the Lives of People Without Permanent Housing

From the Boston Bar Association: The Mass and Cass humanitarian crisis, and, more generally, the crisis of homelessness in Greater Boston, has attracted wide media and public attention. This panel discussion, which brings together experts

Virtual Event – Mass & Cass and the Crisis of Homelessness: The Interaction of Mental Health, Addiction, and the Law in the Lives of People Without Permanent Housing Read More »

Senator Gillibrand, Veterans’ Advocates, and Experts Examine the Legacy of Burn Pit Exposures on the Health of Military Servicemembers and Veterans

Burn pits—where trash and other waste are disposed of through burning in large, uncovered pits, often with an accelerant like jet fuel—were once commonly used by the U.S. military, particularly in Iraq, Afghanistan, and other

Senator Gillibrand, Veterans’ Advocates, and Experts Examine the Legacy of Burn Pit Exposures on the Health of Military Servicemembers and Veterans Read More »

Disabled American Veterans Panel Discussion: The Toxic Legacy of Military Burn Pits, with Keynote Address by Senator Kirsten Gillibrand

Panel featuring veterans, advocates, and medical expert examined issue that affects an estimated 200,000+ individuals who deployed to Southwest Asia during the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars This year’s Disabled American Veterans (DAV) Distinguished Speakers Series

Disabled American Veterans Panel Discussion: The Toxic Legacy of Military Burn Pits, with Keynote Address by Senator Kirsten Gillibrand Read More »

Moulton, Trahan Seek Tougher Penalties Against Storage Companies Who Sell Belongings of Servicemembers

In October, The Boston Globe highlighted the case of an LSC client, Air Force Technical Sergeant Charles Cornacchio, whose belongings were sold by a Billerica moving and storage company while he was deployed to Qatar. Recently, the Globe

Moulton, Trahan Seek Tougher Penalties Against Storage Companies Who Sell Belongings of Servicemembers Read More »

In a Potentially Precedent-Setting Case, Veterans Clinic Students Work to Help LGBTQ Widower Secure VA Benefits

Read additional coverage on NBC News: Gay Navy veteran’s widower fights for benefits in historic appeal By Brett Milano, Harvard Law Today, November 8, 2021 When U.S. Navy veteran Rhett Chalk passed away in June of

In a Potentially Precedent-Setting Case, Veterans Clinic Students Work to Help LGBTQ Widower Secure VA Benefits Read More »

Snapshots from a Week in the Veterans Law & Disability Benefits Clinic

By mid-semester, the 14 Harvard Law students enrolled in the Veterans Law & Disability Benefits Clinic at the Legal Services Center in Jamaica Plain (LSC) are hard at work managing their busy dockets. From drafting

Snapshots from a Week in the Veterans Law & Disability Benefits Clinic Read More »

Boston Globe Reports on Case of Air Force Sergeant Whose Belongings Were Auctioned Off While He Was Deployed

Before a deployment in 2019, Air Force Technical Sergeant Charles Cornacchio paid Billerica-based Father & Son Moving & Storage for moving and six months’ storage of his belongings. Months later, while serving in Qatar, Cornacchio learned

Boston Globe Reports on Case of Air Force Sergeant Whose Belongings Were Auctioned Off While He Was Deployed Read More »

LSC Creates New Poverty Law Workshop, Training Law Students on Safety Net Programs

Drawing on careers spent representing clients accessing safety net benefits, LSC Clinical Instructors and Lecturers-on-Law Julie McCormack and Betsy Gwin have created a new seminar at Harvard Law School, the Poverty Law Workshop. Responding to

LSC Creates New Poverty Law Workshop, Training Law Students on Safety Net Programs Read More »

LSC Clinical Instructor Peter Perkowski Testifies Before House Committee on Veterans Affairs

On September 22, Peter Perkowski, Clinical Instructor in LSC’s Veterans Legal Clinic, testified before the House Committee on Veterans Affairs’ Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations. The hearing, billed under the umbrella of “Creating a Welcoming

LSC Clinical Instructor Peter Perkowski Testifies Before House Committee on Veterans Affairs Read More »

American Bar Association Publishes Landmark Guide for Veterans Rights Advocates, Written by LSC Attorneys and Other Legal Experts

CHICAGO, Aug. 31, 2021 — A new book from the American Bar Association, Military Discharge Upgrade Legal Practice Manual, is a desk reference for veteran’s rights advocates to use throughout the process of developing a

American Bar Association Publishes Landmark Guide for Veterans Rights Advocates, Written by LSC Attorneys and Other Legal Experts Read More »

Vietnam Veteran Wins $800K in Back Benefits and Receives Discharge Upgrade Thanks to LSC Veterans Legal Clinic

Joe*, a Vietnam combat veteran, received a less than honorable discharge more than 40 years ago due to conduct connected to his then-undiagnosed post-traumatic stress disorder. Ever since, he fought unsuccessfully to have his discharge

Vietnam Veteran Wins $800K in Back Benefits and Receives Discharge Upgrade Thanks to LSC Veterans Legal Clinic Read More »

Creating a More Just Legal System, One Client at a Time

Marcus Miller is a 2L student at Harvard Law School. He is a clinical student in the Veterans Law and Disability Clinic, working in the Safety Net Project during the Fall 2020 semester. By Marcus

Creating a More Just Legal System, One Client at a Time Read More »

Legal Services Center Urges VA to Change Eligibility Rules for Veterans with Bad Paper on behalf of Swords to Plowshares and The National Veterans Legal Services Program

September 8, 2020 – The Legal Services Center of Harvard Law School (LSC), on behalf of veterans organizations Swords to Plowshares and the National Veterans Legal Services Program (NVLSP), called on the Department of Veterans

Legal Services Center Urges VA to Change Eligibility Rules for Veterans with Bad Paper on behalf of Swords to Plowshares and The National Veterans Legal Services Program Read More »

Dedicated to Clients Facing Eviction, Crushing Fraudulent Student Loan Debt, and Military Sexual Trauma

Three Graduating LSC Students Honored for Their Pro Bono Work With their law school careers drawing to a close during the difficult and indescribable challenge of a global pandemic, three LSC students were honored at

Dedicated to Clients Facing Eviction, Crushing Fraudulent Student Loan Debt, and Military Sexual Trauma Read More »

Stay Informed

Sign up to receive news from LSC