S P E C I A L F E A T U R E- M V A C C O M M I T T E E C o l l e e n M i l l e r- Q u a r l e s & B r a d y L L P
training for veterans consortium pro Bono program at the chester h. ferguson Law center
On February 9, through the collaboration and sponsorship of Quarles & Brady LLP and the HCBA’ s Military & Veterans Affairs Committee, nearly 80 attorneys from both the private and public sectors attended an all-day training conducted by The Veterans Consortium Pro Bono Program to learn how to represent veterans in their appeals for disability benefits before the U. S. Court of Appeals for Veteran Claims. The Veterans Consortium Pro Bono Program, a nonprofit organization headquar tered in Washington, D. C., has trained and mentored more than 2,500 attorneys nation wide willing to assist veterans who, in most instances, would otherwise be represent ing themselves on a pro se basis.
The Veterans Consor- tium’ s trainers— Courtney
Veterans Consortium trainers and representatives from Quarles & Brady LLP with Judge Allen
Smith, Rick Spataro, Bart Stichman, and Jill Davenport— presented on a variety of topics, including: the VA’ s claims process, service-connected disability compensation, the appeals process, and common VA errors, among others. In addition, Judge Michael P. Allen, U. S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims and former dean of Stetson University College of Law, traveled from Washington, D. C., to provide practitioners tips and insight into practicing before the court.
As a result of the Tampa training, the attendees are now members of The Veterans Consortium National Volunteer Corps and may request a pro bono case directly from The Veterans Consortium. The cases run the spectrum from a Korean War veteran who needs disability benefits due to
Continued on page 15 qSave the Dates u may 9, 2018 Law Day Membership Luncheon at the Hilton Tampa Downtown
u may 17, 2018 Law & Liberty Dinner at the Hilton Tampa Downtown
u June 1, 2018 ABOTA / HCBA Seminar at Stetson University College of Law & Chester H. Ferguson Law Center u June 7, 2018 Installation of the HCBA and YLD Officers & Board of Directors at the Chester Ferguson Law Center
u June 8, 2018 YLD State Court Trial Seminar at George Edgecomb Courthouse
Learn more about HCBA events at www. hillsbar. com. StAy ConneCted
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