Dec. 9, 2024

Veterans Clinic Attorney Quoted in Bloomberg Law

Katie Becker, a staff attorney with the Mizzou Law Veterans Clinic, authored the brief. Katie Becker, a staff attorney in the Mizzou Law Veterans Clinic, was quoted last week in an article in Bloomberg Law about a current U.S. Supreme Court case regarding veterans benefits. Becker authored an amicus brief submitted by the clinic in the case Feliciano vs. Department of Transportation. . This landmark case addresses the entitlement of federal employee reservists to differential pay during active-duty service in a national emergency. To read Becker’s quote and the full Bloomberg Law article, visit: https://news.bloomberglaw.com/daily-labor-report/reservists-pay-case-puts-spotlight-on-financial-cost-of-service.

Nov. 20, 2024

Students Play Key Role in Briefing in Federal Courts 

This semester, students in the Mizzou Law Veterans Clinic have played key roles in advocating for veterans before major courts. Two of the Clinic’s students, Rachel Elliott, 3L, and Brady Hays, 2L, worked on cases in United States federal courts.  Rachel Elliot, who is part of the Advanced Veterans Clinic, recently authored and submitted a brief to the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims. After completing the necessary paperwork for admission to the Court as a law student and with the approval of the dean, Rachel was able to fully brief the case. Rachel drew on her prior experience…

Oct. 28, 2024

Veterans Clinic secures more than $500,000 for veterans in a single month

Martha Bradley Kleinhesselink and Carter Brooks Templeton, staff attorneys at the Mizzou Law Veterans Clinic, recently secured more than half a million dollars in retroactive payments for two veterans within the span of one month. These significant wins not only highlight the clinic’s dedication to advocating for veterans but also contribute to the more than $20 million in awards that the clinic has secured for veterans since its inception. One of the victories involves a veteran who received a $373,000 retroactive payment for a heart condition, which was determined to be 100% service-connected back to 2013. The $373,000 payment is…

Oct. 16, 2024

Veterans Clinic Files Amicus Brief in SCOTUS in Support of Reservists’ Rights

Katie Becker, a staff attorney with the Mizzou Law Veterans Clinic, authored the brief. The University of Missouri School of Law Veterans Clinic has filed an amicus brief in the Supreme Court of the United States in the case of Feliciano v. Department of Transportation. This landmark case addresses the entitlement of federal employee reservists to differential pay during active-duty service in a national emergency. The case centers on Nick Feliciano, a Coast Guard reservist employed by the Federal Aviation Administration as an air traffic controller. Feliciano was called to active duty for several periods from 2012 to 2017, during which…

Sep. 18, 2024

Veterans Clinic staffer wins Missouri Bar Award

Eugene O’Loughlin, intake coordinator and veterans benefits specialist in the Veterans Clinic at the University of Missouri School of Law, today was awarded the 2024 Liberty Bell Award from the Missouri Bar Young Lawyers’ Section Council. The Liberty Bell Award acknowledges a non-lawyer or non-legal organization engaged in public service activities that enhance the legal community or are dedicated to the advancement of justice. O’Loughlin is the veteran advocacy coordinator at the Mizzou Law Veterans Clinic, which helps veterans with discharge upgrades and VA disability compensation appeals at the agency level and in federal appellate courts.

Feb. 14, 2024

Mizzou Law Veterans Clinic Files Amicus Brief with United States Supreme Court

Attorneys in the Mizzou Law Veterans Clinic have filed an amicus brief with the United States Supreme Court in a crucial case awaiting consideration involving veterans seeking certiorari to challenge a decision made by the Federal Circuit.   The veterans in the case argue that the Federal Circuit erred in its judgment, contending that the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims (CAVC) must consult the complete agency record in every case to determine the proper application of the benefit-of-the-doubt rule. This rule, rooted in a longstanding history and codified by Congress, is a vital safeguard for veterans seeking…

Aug. 22, 2023

Housing heroes: New program to support veterans experiencing homelessness

Contact: Courtney Perrett, 573-882-6217, cperrett@missouri.edu Since 2009, the number of veterans experiencing homelessness across the United States has shrunk by more than 50%, according to a 2022 Department of Housing report. With the support of a $150,000 grant from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), the University of Missouri School of Law Veterans Clinic is aiming to continue this trend here at home with a new program designed to further empower veterans in taking steps out of homelessness. The Veterans Outreach Program will help attorneys connect with veterans experiencing homelessness with the goal of offering them the legal…

June 5, 2023

Brent Filbert Named NIMJ Fellow

University of Missouri School of Law Veterans Clinic Director Brent Filbert has been named a fellow at the National Institute of Military Justice (NIMJ). Professor Filbert was selected as a fellow of the institute based on his abilities and expertise in the fields of military law and veterans law. He will serve a two-year term as fellow, from 2023-2025. “To become a fellow in the National Institute of Military Justice is an amazing honor,” Filbert said. “The NIMJ is made up of our nation’s most accomplished military justice attorneys and scholars and is widely recognized as the leading authority on…

May 9, 2023

Mizzou Law Veterans Clinic Names New Director

Officials at the University of Missouri School of Law are pleased to announce the hiring of Brent Filbert to join the faculty as the new director of the Mizzou Law Veterans Clinic and associate clinical professor. Professor Filbert rejoins Mizzou Law after spending several years as a supervising attorney within the MU Veterans Clinic. In recent years, Professor Filbert has served as the director of Military Law at the Veteran Advocacy Project. As the new director, he is replacing Clinic founder Angela Drake, who is retiring in December. Professor Drake will remain on the faculty until the end of…

June 15, 2022

USSC Justice Cites Mizzou Law Veterans Clinic Amicus Brief in Dissenting Opinion

An amicus brief written by Mizzou Law Veterans Clinic students and faculty was cited three times by U.S. Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch in his dissenting opinion in George v. McDonough. The case, decided on June 15, found that discharged military veteran Kevin George was not entitled to have his earlier decision denying veterans benefits for preexisting mental health issue, exacerbated by his time in service, revised to conform to the law. The case involved the scope of “clear and unmistakeable error” in agency decisions. In George’s case, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs denied his benefits initially…