DAV

DISABLED AMERICAN VETERANS

807 Maine Ave., SW · Washington, D.C. 20024 · Phone (202) 554-3501 · Fax (202) 863-0233

News Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

DAV Announces New Pro Bono Program at Veterans' Court

WASHINGTON—The Disabled American Veterans 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," said DAV National Adjutant Arthur H. Wilson. "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," said Wilson. "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 cast program of representation by National Appeals Officers, National Service Officers, Transition Service Officers, Department Service Officers and Chapter Service Officers."

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, that DAV partnered with the Veterans Consortium to establish a pro bono program that continues to this day.

The 1.4 million-member Disabled American Veterans, a non-profit organization founded in 1920 and chartered by the U.S. Congress in 1932, represents this nation’s disabled veterans. It is dedicated to a single purpose: building better lives for our nation’s disabled veterans and their families. For more information, visit the organization’s Web site, www.dav.org.

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