New, Clinic-Focused Veterans Law Textbook Published by Two Long-Standing Members of the NLSVCC By National Law School Veterans Clinic Consortium

After roughly five years of intensive research and writing, Professor Stacey-Rae Simcox, Stetson University College of Law, and retired William & Mary Law School Professor David E. Boelzner have published Veterans Benefits: Law, Theory, and Practice, a unique book that could benefit countless veterans.

The book, published by Carolina Academic Press, aims to serve as “a useful and complete resource for teachers of veterans law, particularly in the practical context of preparing student advocates in law clinics to assist veterans with their claims for benefits.”

It concisely maps out the incredibly complex VA claims system and shows students how to navigate it.

A practical focus

A few features make the book particularly useful to students working in veterans law clinics at law schools across the country.  First, it provides straightforward explanations of the veteran claim system and how it works.  Another useful attribute is that the most important cases in this area of law are summarized so students spend less time dissecting and analyzing each case and more time working on behalf of their clients.

This presentation allows students and instructors to move more quickly through understanding complicated material toward applying what they have learned.  Perhaps most importantly, the book gives them concrete examples that invite students to apply what they are learning to real-world client situations.

“A clinical course requires practical application of statute, regulation, case law, and analysis to a real-life client’s legal issues,” Simcox, who is director of Stetson Law’s Veterans Law Institute, said. “This book is unique because it provides students with a number of client vignettes to allow the student to apply what they are learning to a practical client scenario, just as they would in practice.”

Bridging a legal gap

Part of what makes veterans law clinics at law schools such a critical resource for veterans going through the VA claims process is a federal policy effectively barring them from hiring an attorney until the agency has examined evidence and issued a decision affirming or denying the claim. This often leaves veterans without an advocate during a critical part of the disability claims process.

Since their work is unpaid, students working through veterans law clinics at their law schools are uniquely positioned to assist – provided they have a solid grasp of the system’s nuances.

“Our hope is that this book will help law students and other advocates gain a deeper understanding of veterans law and help achieve better results for our veterans and their families,” Simcox said. “And on a personal note, as a veteran myself, I consider it a great privilege to give back to my fellow veterans in this small way.”

National Law School Veterans Clinic Consortium

Both Stetson Law and William & Mary Law have been supporters of the NLSVCC since its inception.  These were two of the law schools (including John Marshall Law School now University of Illinois Law School) that founded the NLSVCC in 2016.  Since its beginning, the NLSVCC has grown dramatically and encourages the creation of veterans clinics at other law schools through information sharing and support.  The NLSVCC also advocates policy changes and changes in the law that will benefit veterans through testimony before Congress, amici briefs to the federal courts, and advocacy.  In support of the NLSVCC, Professor Simcox is donating her 2023 royalties to the NLSVCC.