MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — West Virginia’s nearly 170,000 veterans, many with unique legal needs related to their service or return to civilian life, will benefit from the regional office West Virginia University’s Veterans Advocacy Law Clinic has opened in The Equities House in Charleston.
“The state’s veterans who need legal assistance have a new resource in the capital,” said Amelia Rinehart, dean of the WVU College of Law. “This additional clinical law office will allow us to better serve our veterans in the central and southern part of the state.”
Under faculty supervision, law students in the clinic represent West Virginia veterans for free in litigation before administrative agencies and courts on benefits, discharge upgrades, employment claims and other civil matters. The clinic also works with U.S. Attorneys’ offices in the state to provide representation for veterans with petty offenses.
Attorney Jed Nolan is the program director of the Veterans Advocacy Law Clinic. He will split his time between the Charleston office and the main clinic at the WVU College of Law in Morgantown. Student attorneys in the clinic will continue to work out of the College of Law and travel to Charleston as needed.
“We plan to host more outreach in the Charleston area, including a quarterly scheduled clinic to provide wills and offer meeting times with student attorneys to discuss any legal issues facing veterans,” Nolan said.
The clinic also plans to resume statewide presentations for veterans regarding rights and benefits.
The Veterans Advocacy Law Clinic can be reached at 304-293-7249 or cliniclaw@mail.wvu.edu.
The Equities House is located at 900 Virginia Street East in Charleston.
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