Measuring the impact of a teaching law practice can take many forms.
“We can measure impact by the number of inquiries from clients, the number of cases handled, the size of the geographic service area, the number of student hours logged, the amount of benefits secured, or the long-term financial impact,” Veterans Legal Clinic Director and Clinical Professor Alexander W. “Alex” Scherr said. “We can also look at intangibles for veterans – the recognition and validation of past injuries and of future stability for those who may face homelessness or financial distress. And finally, we can look at the impact that training future lawyers has on their own professional development and their own understanding of the rewards of public service.”
The overall financial impact of the clinic was calculated for all clients where the clinic succeeded in adding to their benefits or saving them from debt. The total figure has three components: retroactive awards, debts waived (where veterans were found to have been overpaid in benefits), and the present value of future income. Across all of these cases, the clinic achieved an average value of $277,500 per veteran.
Scherr said both the overall financial impact and the average increase in benefits were very meaningful for veterans and their families, most of whom faced financial hardships and economic insecurity due to injuries or disabilities resulting from their military service.
He added that the law school’s Veterans Legal Clinic is purposefully designed to focus on thoroughly preparing claims early in the VA’s process. Staff and students “start from scratch” for each case, gathering all the relevant information before filing or refiling paperwork with the department.
“Clinics at other schools often focus on appealing the denials of claims by the VA,” Scherr said. “We work to prepare claims thoroughly at the start, so as to make the most of the chance for veterans to get all they should receive without the years of delay associated with VA appeals.”
Kyle R. Nelson, a third-year law student working in the clinic, said the experience has been valuable in teaching him how to handle a case for a client, specifically communicating with clients, gathering and reviewing records, and legal research. “The big advantage the [Veterans Legal Clinic] has given me is my writing skills. There is an emphasis on accessible writing, and I’ve noticed that my writing has improved dramatically with all the written work I’ve done.”
Third-year law student Lindsay M. Smith described the clinic as her favorite law school experience. “It offers the opportunity to make a tangible difference in the lives of real people,” she said. “When I started law school … all I knew was that I wanted to use my law degree to help people; thanks to the VLC, I got to start actually helping people much sooner than I ever expected.”
The Veterans Legal Clinic was established through a lead gift from renowned trial attorney James E. “Jim” Butler Jr. The 1977 School of Law alumnus also supports the school’s Butler Commitment, which guarantees financial support for every veteran who enrolls at the law school. Starting this fall, the Butler Commitment now ranges from the equivalent of a one-quarter scholarship to a full-tuition plus scholarship.
