MORGANTOWN, W.Va.—Jed Nolan, a public interest attorney based in Beckley, West Virginia, has been named director and staff attorney of the Veterans Advocacy Law Clinic at the West Virginia University College of Law.
In his new role, Nolan will supervise third-year law students who provide pro bono legal services to West Virginia’s veterans.
“I have six family members who served in the military,” Nolan said. “I am thrilled to have the opportunity to help others obtain the benefits they earned serving their country. I am also thrilled to training a group of young lawyers to understand that legal practice is about more than arguing case law and statutes; it is about connecting with a client and using the law as a means to improve their daily life.”
There are currently seven student attorneys in Veterans Advocacy Law Clinic. Under faculty supervision, students in the clinic represent clients before administrative agencies and courts regarding benefits, discharge upgrades, employment claims and other civil matters. The clinic also provides community outreach efforts and legal services in partnership with the Louis A. Johnson Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Clarksburg, West Virginia.
“Service and education are drivers of the veterans clinic,” Nolan said “We want to provide opportunities for our student attorneys to interview clients and pursue legal claims in a real-world environment before they leave law school. The clinical setting provides significant oversight and input while also giving the students direct control and responsibility helping real clients in need.”
Nolan has devoted his legal career to protecting West Virginia’s consumers, including veterans. He previously worked in non-profit organizations focused on protecting low income and vulnerable consumers, and he advocated for consumer rights against aggressive debt collectors and unfair credit reporting practices.
“Veterans face a host of issues that can be addressed through legal means,” he said. “They are of course granted access to a great amount of benefits and services from the VA, but there can be a disconnect between the services available and their ability to access those services.”
Prior to joining the Veterans Advocacy Law Clinic, Nolan was an attorney for Mountain State Justice. He also served as an associate at Hamilton, Burgess, Young & Pollard, PLLC, and as an attorney for Legal Aid of West Virginia. He earned his law degree from West Virginia University in 2008 and bachelor’s degree in history from Marshall University in 2005.
The Veterans Advocacy Law Clinic is funded, in part, by Wooton, Davis, Hussell & Ellis, PLLC in Beckley, West Virginia.
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