Honoring our veterans all year

Every year, Veterans Day, we pause on November 11—Veterans Day—to thank those who served. At Cornell Law School, our students live that commitment year-round through the Veterans Law Practicum—providing free legal help to veterans in need, from securing benefits to restoring dignity through discharge upgrades.

Now, this vital work is at risk. The recent loss of $250,000 in VA funding has forced staff cuts and threatens to shut down the program entirely after this year. Your support can keep it alive—and ensure that the veterans who defended us have someone to defend them.

“I am deeply grateful for the dedication of the students and professor of the Veterans Law Practicum. The time they invested and the patience they showed throughout this process has truly helped to heal me and my family. With their support, I was able to upgrade my discharge status with the VA and am now eligible for the full range of VA benefits and disability compensation. I sincerely appreciate everything they’ve done to help make this happen.”  

—Alberto Gomez, veteran, United States Marine Corps

Our promise

The Veterans Law Practicum at Cornell Law School delivers life-changing legal help to veterans across upstate New York. Launched in the fall of 2023, the Practicum fills a critical gap in access to justice—fighting for veterans in benefits appeals, discharge upgrades, and housing matters that determine their stability and dignity.

Guided by a full-time attorney, Cornell law students provide hands-on legal assistance and representation, ensuring that those who served our nation finally receive the care, benefits, and respect they’ve earned.

“As the daughter of two Air Force veterans, I came to law school knowing I wanted to give back to those who served. The Veterans Law Practicum at Cornell Law has not only given me the opportunity to help veterans get the benefits they're entitled to, but it has also reinforced my drive to become a public interest lawyer.”

—Jasmine Crain, J.D. '26

Real lives, real aid, real impact

Since its launch in 2023, the Veterans Law Practicum has drawn 48 passionate Cornell Law students committed to serving those who served us. This fall, 15 students are already partnering with veterans across upstate New York to tackle urgent issues like homelessness, housing insecurity, and access to vital benefits. The Practicum takes cases related to:

• Service-connected disability compensation
• Discharge upgrades
• Securing benefits that improve economic security and overall well-being

In just over two years, the Practicum has completed 251 intakes, opened 164 cases, and helped 142 veterans gain life-changing support, including the following success stories:

• After enduring military sexual assault, an Army veteran went AWOL to escape her abuser—only to be issued a less-than-honorable discharge that barred her from VA benefits for two decades. With our help, she finally won her appeal. The VA has now recognized her trauma and rated her 100% disabled for PTSD related to military sexual trauma, restoring her access to full benefits, care, and long-overdue justice.
• After 10 years of denial, a Marine Corps and Afghanistan veteran with a less than honorable discharge and finally secured full eligibility for VA benefits. With our help, the VA recognized that his PTSD—not misconduct—caused his discharge, restoring the justice and stability he earned through service.
• After nearly 50 years, a Vietnam-era Navy veteran with service-related schizophrenia finally won $777,000 in retroactive VA benefits thanks to Cornell Law students who proved his 1976 claim was wrongly dismissed. Their work delivered long-overdue justice and transformed a lifetime of waiting into a moment of victory.   

“As a disabled veteran, I was drawn to Practicum's focus on service. Transitioning from active duty to civilian life is a continuous challenge for veterans, and help from the VA is often obscured without legal expertise. VLP has given me expertise, exposure, and an identity. The opportunity to provide meaningful direct legal services to other veterans has prepared me for a meaningful career of pro bono service in support of other veterans.”

—Zach Mann, J.D. '27, veteran, United States Coast Guard

Every gift counts 

But this progress is now at risk. The recent loss of $250,000 in federal VA funding threatens to end the program just as its impact is growing. With your support, we can keep this lifeline open and ensure no veteran faces their legal battles alone.

 Your gift today would direct funds to areas that would:

• Fund more staff attorneys and summer fellows to extend our impact all year long  
• Provide greater financial stability to enable the practicum to file higher-impact affirmative litigation to protect the rights of veterans 

Every gift impacts a life—both of our student learners and the veterans we owe so much to. 

“When we talk with clients there is a feeling of relief that there is something that can be done about what’s happened to them. They know that there is someone who will be there to walk them through it and give them direction and options.” —Daniel Imakyure, J.D ’24, pictured with Michael Gabel (KIA in 2007, Afghanistan), served in the United States Army before attending Cornell Law School.

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