Widener University Delaware Law School and its Veterans Law Clinic have launched an additional program aimed at helping veterans.
Through the “Military Mondays” program, Veterans Law Clinic staff attorneys and student interns conduct sit-down meetings with veterans in need of legal advice.
Using space provided by Starbucks, one-hour meetings are available to veterans who have legal questions about their claims for benefits through the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs.
The program operates one Monday a month out of the Starbucks in the Nemours Building, 1007 N. Orange St., Wilmington. All meetings are by appointment between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m.
Appointments can be made by contacting Denise Paul, office manager of the Veterans Law Clinic, at 302.477.2056 or dmpaul@widener.edu. The Veterans Law Clinic is seeking the media’s help in making the public, especially veterans, aware of this resource. The next two Military Monday dates are Monday, Nov. 14 and Monday, Dec. 5.
The free program is intended to assist veterans who need advice on benefit claims. Clinic attorneys and student interns answer questions and make recommendations to veterans on how they can proceed for themselves.
No formal attorney-client relationship attaches from the meetings. Starbucks began Military Mondays last year in Virginia. The program is one of many the company has established in its effort to hire more than 10,000 military veterans by 2018.
“We are excited to facilitate Military Mondays in Delaware. It is an excellent, additional avenue for us to give back to the veteran community and an outstanding hands-on learning opportunity for our law students,” said clinic Director and Visiting Assistant Professor Amber Baylor. “The relaxed Starbucks atmosphere makes it easy for veterans to discuss their questions and it is a convenient Wilmington location.”
Media interested in reporting on Military Mondays as a Veterans Day story are encouraged to contact Delaware Law School public relations, which can assist in coordinating interviews
Widener University was among the first law schools in the United States to start a clinical program for disabled veterans. Through the Veterans Law Clinic, students work under the supervision of practicing attorneys to provide free legal representation to disabled veterans and their dependents with Veterans Affairs compensation claim appeals to the Board of Veterans Appeals.
First known as the Veterans Assistance Program, Widener students began the work in 1997, when the school co-sponsored a program with the pro bono arm of the Delaware State Bar Association. It became known as the Veterans Law Clinic in January 2006 and today serves veterans largely in Pennsylvania and Delaware, having recovered more than $9 million in benefits owed to veterans.
Widener students began the work in 1997, when the school co-sponsored a program with the pro bono arm of the Delaware State Bar Association. It became known as the Veterans Law Clinic in January 2006 and today serves veterans largely in Pennsylvania and Delaware, having recovered more than $9 million in benefits owed to veterans.
