M E M O R A N D U M
TO: National Officers
Department Commanders and Adjutants
Chapter Commanders and Adjutants
All National Service Officers
VA Regional Office Directors
State Directors of Veterans’ Affairs
DAVA National Adjutant
FROM: Arthur H. Wilson, National Adjutant
SUBJ: New Pro Bono Program at Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims
DATE: July 2, 2008
After long and careful consideration, the DAV has accepted a proposal from Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner, one of the nation’s leading law firms, to offer free representation at the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims to certain veterans referred by DAV.
This new arrangement will provide even more resources to disabled veterans seeking to obtain benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs. In a number of cases, they will now be able to access the resources of Finnegan and its very talented lawyers in exercising their right to independent judicial review of benefit decisions.
Under the agreement, Finnegan will offer pro bono representation at the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims to certain veterans referred by DAV. All in all, Finnegan will likely handle between 100 and 200 cases each year at the court, all of which will be selected from the thousands that DAV handles — and will continue to handle — at VA’s Board of Veterans’ Appeals.
The DAV’s foremost concern continues to be ensuring that disabled veterans have the very best representation possible as they pursue their claims for disability compensation and other earned benefits from the VA. We are very pleased that a prestigious firm such as Finnegan has volunteered to provide pro bono services to our nation’s veterans and their families, services that will complement our vast program of representation by our National Appeals Officers, National Service Officers, Transition Service Officers, Department Service Officers and Chapter Service Officers.
As you may know, the DAV was the first veterans service organization to submit an appellate brief to the veterans court after it was established in 1988 and was the first organization to present oral argument by a non-attorney practitioner. The DAV also won the first fact-based decision handed down by the court. The DAV also has long been a leader in developing programs to provide pro bono representation to veteran claimants. For example, in 1992, the DAV partnered with the Veterans Consortium to establish a pro bono program that continues to this day.
This new arrangement with Finnegan provides DAV the opportunity to create a better balance in our National Service Program. This includes allowing us to devote additional resources to our operations at the Board of Veterans’ Appeals, where the workload is increasing at a rapid pace.
ARTHUR H. WILSON
National Adjutant
AHW:dea