A commitment to serve and an opportunity to learn: Veterans find the path to becoming lawyers

Jeremy Vicars served 20 years in the U.S. Marine Corps as an intelligence officer. The Indianapolis, Indiana, native was trained as a Russian linguist In Monterey, California, worked at the National Security Agency, and served in locations such as Maryland, Virginia, Japan and Camp Pendleton. During those years in the Marines, Vicars witnessed firsthand how details mattered in every context and how subtext can make or break an argument.

"It was a different way of looking at and learning the world," he said. "We all live in a world of laws, but very few people can navigate it to the best effect."

When Vicars retired in 2021, he sought to double down on his commitment to public service. He applied and was accepted to California Western School of Law and is now a first-year law student. Vicars hopes to eventually practice immigration law and he looks forward to helping those less fortunate and who lack the means to help themselves.

Vicars is just one of the nearly 60 students receiving veteran benefits at California Western in downtown San Diego. For more than 100 years, California Western has provided students with the fundamental knowledge, skills and experience to thrive in a rapidly evolving legal landscape. With nine San Diego military bases nearby, California Western is a natural choice for service members and their families pursuing a legal education. San Diego is home to the largest number of young veterans in the country.

California Western proudly participates in the Post-9/11 GI Bill(r) and the Yellow Ribbon Program for eligible veterans and service members. Yellow Ribbon funds, combined with the Post-9/11 GI Bill or Fry Scholarship annual allowance, cover full tuition and fees as long as the student remains eligible. California Western meets the financial needs of all its students utilizing the Yellow Ribbon Program.

"California Western does not limit the number of students who participate in Yellow Ribbon, and we also do not limit the amount we'll give students in the program," said Jessica Ayres, Director of Financial Aid. "This really exemplifies our commitment to helping all veterans."

The Yellow Ribbon Program has enabled John-Paul Mantone to attend law school. Mantone is a third-year law student who will graduate in December 2025. Originally from Long Island, he participated in the Naval ROTC program at Villanova University and was commissioned as a Navy officer upon graduation. Mantone spent 20 years in the Navy but started thinking about law school when constitutional law piqued his interest as a student at the Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island.

"Every service member takes an oath to the Constitution, but what does that mean?" Mantone said. "That part of the civil-military relations training really interested me. A few years later, I was working at the Pentagon and Capitol Hill, where I came across many lawyers, and I really liked working with those individuals. When I got to San Diego and started looking into what to do after retiring from the Navy, these same lawyers encouraged me to consider law school because I was fascinated by law. The GI Bill and Yellow Ribbon Program ensured I could afford to attend."

During his time at California Western, Mantone served as a judicial extern for the Honorable Anthony J. Battaglia, a law clerk for the U.S. Attorney's Office, a law clerk for Ryan Carvalho & Retz LLP, and currently works as a law clerk and clinical extern with Taylor Anderson LLP. Mantone is also associate editor of the California Western Law Review. He credits his time in the Navy and its rules and regulations for preparing him for law school.

"In the Navy, there are instructions and guidance for everything, but there are also gray areas," he said. "It's very similar with the law. A statute can say something, but it can also be unclear. ... In the Navy, you have instructions on how to drive a ship or fly a plane or maintain equipment. But when there's disagreement on how those things happen, you have to litigate it in a nonjudicial matter. I'm practicing those same skills in law school paying attention to the details and digging below the surface to problem-solve."

Christopher Johnson, a third-year law student at California Western, also draws parallels between his time in the Navy and law school. Originally from Sacramento, California, Johnson was a MH-60 helicopter aircrewman and aviation rescue swimmer.

"It was not enough to simply know how a helicopter works or the steps of an emergency procedure," Johnson said. "You need to know the reasons why those steps exist and apply knowledge to them. When I first got to law school, the exams and experiential projects were all about application, not just regurgitating facts. That perfectly tied to my experience in the Navy. That perspective of understanding how to take information and apply it is the greatest benefit I could have had coming into law school."

Johnson became intrigued by the idea of law school after speaking with a judge advocate aboard a ship during his third deployment. He realized that if he wanted to make a difference after retiring from the Navy, being part of the legal community was the best way to do that. He chose California Western for its San Diego location and proximity to courthouses downtown. Johnson plans to work in either consumer or employment law when he graduates this spring.

California Western's community of veterans demonstrates how a commitment to service can evolve into a successful legal career. Their experiences in the military have amplified their legal studies and prepared them to practice law. For student veterans, law school is not just a new chapter -- it is a continuation of their lifelong mission to protect, guide and serve.