Appellate Advocacy
Before the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims
May 28, 2025 | 1:00 PM - 4:30 PM
Free Virtual Training -- Registration Required
They Fought For Us, Now We Fight For Them.
Join our free training and learn how to best advocate for veterans in their appeals of denied service-related benefits.
Topics covered:
- Service-Connected Disability Compensation
- Dependency & Indemnity Compensation and Non-Service-Connected
- Overview of the VA Claims Process and the
Chronology of an Appeal - Judicial Review
- CAVC Practice and Procedure
- Common VA Errors Raised and Settlement Issues
- Persuasive Brief Writing
Please Note:
- A case takes approximately 60 hours
- Volunteer reviews Agency decisions and records to prepare Court pleadings such as mediation memorandum, initial brief, and reply brief.
- Each volunteer is assigned a mentor
- Cases are prescreened for merit
- No past expertise is required
Continuing Legal Education
- You may submit this CLE request to your state bar for reciprocity.
- The Veterans Consortium will obtain CLE credit for Virginia.
- Completing this training is a prerequisite to taking cases at The Veterans Consortium.
Appellate Advocacy Experts
COURTNEY L. SMITH, ESQ.
Deputy Executive Director
Sr. Director, CAVC Practice
The Veterans Consortium
GINA D’AMICO, ESQ.
Deputy Director,
Case Evaluation & Litigation
The Veterans Consortium
Members of The Court
The Honorable Margaret Bartley
Judge
U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims
Michael A. Burnat
Chief Deputy Clerk of Operations
U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims
Questions? Email volunteer@vetsprobono.org