Post by duke on Nov 14, 2009 21:33:52 GMT -5
Public Counsel to offer free legal services to veterans seeking benefits
Amanda Bronstad
November 12, 2009
LOS ANGELES — Public Counsel, the nation's largest pro bono law firm, has rolled out a national legal project designed to provide free legal representation to veterans pursuing claims for health care benefits.
The Center for Veterans Advancement (CVA), launched on Nov. 11, will provide free legal representation at the regional offices of the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs, which hears initial claims, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, which makes the final decisions in such cases.
Attorneys in 25 states have signed up for cases as part of the project, which is co-sponsored by the National Organization of Veterans' Advocates Inc.
Rick Little, director of the CVA, said law firms have expressed renewed interest in providing pro bono assistance to veterans since a 2007 change in the law allowed lawyers to charge fees earlier in cases involving claims for benefits. Before the change, law firms were not permitted to charge fees for most of the legal work involved in veteran cases; as a result, many were hesitant to get involved, he said. "In general," he said, "attorneys avoided these types of cases because there was no money in it." <snip>
www.law.com/jsp/nlj/PubArticleNLJ.jsp?id=1202435413302&src=EMC-Email&et=editorial&bu=National%20Law%20Journal&pt=NLJ.com-%20Daily%20Headlines&cn=20091113NLJ&kw=Public%20Counsel%20to%20offer%20free%20legal%20services%20to%20veterans%20seeking%20benefits&slreturn=1&hbxlogin=1
Amanda Bronstad
November 12, 2009
LOS ANGELES — Public Counsel, the nation's largest pro bono law firm, has rolled out a national legal project designed to provide free legal representation to veterans pursuing claims for health care benefits.
The Center for Veterans Advancement (CVA), launched on Nov. 11, will provide free legal representation at the regional offices of the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs, which hears initial claims, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, which makes the final decisions in such cases.
Attorneys in 25 states have signed up for cases as part of the project, which is co-sponsored by the National Organization of Veterans' Advocates Inc.
Rick Little, director of the CVA, said law firms have expressed renewed interest in providing pro bono assistance to veterans since a 2007 change in the law allowed lawyers to charge fees earlier in cases involving claims for benefits. Before the change, law firms were not permitted to charge fees for most of the legal work involved in veteran cases; as a result, many were hesitant to get involved, he said. "In general," he said, "attorneys avoided these types of cases because there was no money in it." <snip>
www.law.com/jsp/nlj/PubArticleNLJ.jsp?id=1202435413302&src=EMC-Email&et=editorial&bu=National%20Law%20Journal&pt=NLJ.com-%20Daily%20Headlines&cn=20091113NLJ&kw=Public%20Counsel%20to%20offer%20free%20legal%20services%20to%20veterans%20seeking%20benefits&slreturn=1&hbxlogin=1
