Speaking to Veterans Advocacy Clinic and Advanced Veterans Advocacy Clinic students earlier this month, two Stetson Law alumni shared insights on how to pursue a career rooted in veterans law.
Grace Paul ’23 and Victoria Tamayo ’19 were both involved with Stetson’s Veterans Law Institute, where they gained hands-on experience fighting on behalf of military veterans whose benefit claims had been denied.
Paul is now an appellate attorney with National Veterans Legal Services Program (NVLSP), and Tamayo is an attorney at Centonzio Law, a firm founded by Stetson Law alumnus Javier Centonzio that advocates for veterans seeking to have denials of benefits overturned). The two spoke to the students about their path from law school to careers in veterans law and what their day-to-day work lives are like.
They gave students advice about working with clients, writing effectively, and setting themselves up to be solid candidates for post-graduate jobs – and shared stories about cases they have worked on.
Learning while making an impact
Paul, a Double Hatter, said she had no exposure to veterans law prior to her involvement with the Veterans Law Institute, but taking the Veterans Advocacy Clinic and Advanced Veterans Advocacy Clinic courses gave her critical insights and tools. As a student with the clinic, she successfully argued at the federal court of appeals for a reversal of a client’s Board of Veterans’ Appeals decision, resulting in a retroactive grant of education benefits – an extremely rare feat.
“The Clinic not only exposed me to a new area of law, but it allowed me to see what it would be like to practice veterans law after graduation,” Paul said. “I now use the tools and experience that I gained through the Clinic every day at my job as an Appellate Attorney with the National Veterans Legal Services Program (NVLSP).”
Returning to campus to show students they can harness their passion to help veterans was one way to give back.
“It was amazing to have the opportunity to come back to the clinic and share how the Veterans Advocacy Clinic sparked a passion for veterans law and influenced my career path,” she said.
Inspired to be a changemaker
Tamayo said her time at the clinic exposed her to the harsh realities veterans are experiencing in order to obtain the benefits to which their service entitles them.
Within her first few years of practicing as an attorney, she helped create new case law through her work on a precedential case at the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims.
She said the Veterans Law Institute was instrumental in her ability to find a career she loves immediately after graduation, and that the clinic equipped her with the background, knowledge, and skills to become a successful veterans advocate even before passing the bar exam.
Visiting the Veterans Law Institute as an alumna and guest speaker was an opportunity to share her enthusiasm and insight into veterans law with students who are in the exact position she was as a student.
“I am forever grateful for Professor Simcox, Professor MacIsaac-Bykowski, and the other wonderful staff at the Veterans Law Institute for the experiences during law school and after,” Tamayo said. “I hope my journey thus far inspires other students to follow in my footsteps of assisting veterans in need.”
On Thursday, April 4, Tamayo will speak about what it’s like to work in veterans law in Sebring Courtroom at noon. See more details and register via Engage.
Learn about the Veterans Advocacy Clinic and the Advanced Veterans Advocacy Clinic. Students interested in either clinic may apply by April 19.
Original source can be found here.