How one legal clinic transforms veterans' lives - one case at a time

When Charles Thompson knocked on our clinic door, little did we know the impact we could have on his life. He was a Black veteran in his 60s, unhoused and sleeping in his car, only months out of county jail. He waved a notice back and forth in his hand -- the VA would recoup thousands of dollars because it had overpaid his disability benefits. Working with Thompson, students and attorneys at the clinic convinced the VA that not only was the overpayment incorrect, but the VA actually owed Thompson tens of thousands of dollars. With these funds, he purchased a home near his family in the Carolinas. We witnessed firsthand the potentially life-changing effects of a veteran's access to legal counsel. "I literally went from homeless to homeowner," Thompson said. "I have a mortgage today instead of a homeless shelter address. I can eat breakfast in my own kitchen as opposed to going to a soup kitchen."

The UCLA School of Law Veterans Legal Clinic was launched in 2017 to assist veterans like Thompson while training the next generation of attorneys to engage in culturally responsible and trauma-informed lawyering. Located in the heart of West Los Angeles VA Medical Center campus, the Veterans Legal Clinic utilizes an embedded community lawyering model. This approach allows attorneys, staff and students to understand the legal needs of veterans who visit the VA for care or housing assistance. By positioning ourselves within this community, our model partners with on-campus service providers so that legal advocacy complements veterans' case management and treatment plans.

Thompson's circumstances reflect a broader pattern. Like Thompson, most of our clients are currently experiencing homelessness or have had past periods of homelessness. Our clients often have multiple unresolved civil legal issues, past periods of incarceration, and one or more disabilities -- consistent with national findings. As the Department of Justice reports, 76% of low-income veterans report at least one civil legal need, 72% of unhoused veterans in temporary shelter report having a disability, and one in three veterans has been arrested at least once. Given these realities, we prioritize legal issues that affect a veteran's ability to obtain or maintain stable housing, including disability benefits, criminal record clearing, infraction defense, and landlord-tenant disputes.

We understand from our clients that though some legal obstacles they face are directly related to their veteran status, many are not. As a result, we have a broad understanding of what constitutes a "veteran issue." For these reasons, we also engage in advocacy on systemic and policy issues including barriers to accessing benefits and harmful interactions with police, which we learn about through our clients and community partners. Much of our work focuses on disability and racial justice because our clients are disproportionately people of color and identify as disabled.

Central to our mission is the involvement of law students. Our legal services are complemented by the work of dedicated UCLA Law students who enroll in a semester-long course with the Veterans Legal Clinic. They work directly with individual veteran clients while learning fundamental lawyering skills and may engage in systemic advocacy with local or national community organizations. Licensed attorneys closely supervise all work to ensure the highest quality of service.

This student involvement creates a unique dynamic. Clients who work with law students receive highly personalized assistance from dedicated and thoughtful teams. Students often go above and beyond -- escorting clients to appointments, assisting them with obtaining vital documents outside the scope of their case, and advocating with medical providers. Perhaps most importantly, veterans can share their stories with empathetic listeners who are on their side.

Thompson's story is not unique -- it represents the thousands of veterans across our nation who struggle to navigate complex legal systems while facing homelessness, disability, and systemic barriers. The embedded community lawyering model demonstrates that legal education and veteran advocacy need not be separate endeavors. By meeting veterans where they are and training the next generation of lawyers in trauma-informed practice, we create a multiplier effect that extends far beyond individual cases. Students learn to see the full humanity in their veteran clients and carry that lesson into their future practice. Every veteran we help remove a barrier to stable housing through legal advocacy moves us one step closer to ending veteran homelessness. This is not just legal aid -- it is a commitment to ensuring that those who serve our country obtain the justice and support they need.