A new law clinic is providing free legal services for veterans in the St. Louis region.
Washington University’s School of Law officially launched the Veterans Law Clinic this month. The free clinic prioritizes low- to moderate-income veterans who want to upgrade their discharge characterizations and correct military records.
“Legal representation is incredibly expensive,” said Sarah Narkiewicz, the associate dean for clinical education at the law school. “We try to meet their needs by providing some really high-quality legal representation at absolutely no cost.”
Narkiewicz said there are plenty of robust health care services available to veterans in the St. Louis area. However, the same can’t be said for legal help. She said the clinic stems from a lack of free legal services for veterans despite their high population in the area.
“About half the veterans in Missouri are in St. Louis,” Narkiewicz said. “But we also noticed that veterans have a myriad of legal needs, and there just weren’t that many pro bono legal services available to veterans.”
Part of the challenge is the echo chamber of misinformation about the process of securing those upgrades and correcting inaccurate military records. Cormac Smith, the director of the clinic, said that means some veterans are missing out on benefits they’re entitled to simply because they can’t afford legal representation to help them through the process.
“Technically all [a] veteran has to do is send in a form asking for a review,” Smith said. “The success rate is not going to be very high at all. It’s a tough burden to carry for a veteran to carry anyway, but their chance of success is going to be much higher if they work with someone, especially with a clinic like ours.”
Second- and third-year law students are ushering the veterans through the process. The clinical work gives the students real-life experience helping their clients navigate the legal system. Narkiewicz calls it a win for the students and clients.
“Clients get really high-quality free legal representation,” Narkiewicz said. “Students get to do the work, but they’re supervised by really qualified professors who are licensed. Then the clients get the enthusiasm of the students [and] the dedication of the students.”
Second-year Wash U law student Elizabeth Dowdell agrees. She’s spent the semester working with clients at the clinic. She, alongside other law students, spends hours on research, conversations with clients, securing records and witnesses and developing a legal strategy for the veterans. She said all of that work is to tell their story and right potential injustices.
“We are listening to them,” Dowdell said. “We are getting a full picture, and a lot of these people because they have perhaps a less than honorable discharge, some people look at them and that’s all they see. So, for us to take the time to sit down and listen and understand and then tell them, ‘OK, we’re going to fight for you.’”
The Veterans Law Clinic wants to expand its services as the clinic grows. Veterans seeking legal representation are encouraged to reach out to the clinic via email at cormacs@wustl.edu.
