JOBS & VOLUNTEERING

The Veteran Advocacy Project (VAP) seeks an attorney to lead our discharge upgrade practice.

VAP provides free legal services to low-income veterans and their families, with a focus on those living with post-traumatic stress disorder, brain injury, and substance dependency. The VA’s records indicate that an average of 17 veterans die by suicide each day—too many struggle with mental health conditions and the effects of trauma. Our services provide access to health care and benefits, open the door to education and employment, keep families in their homes, and empower veterans by removing barriers to recovery. We partner with VA Vet centers, community health clinics, and veterans’ organizations to reach individuals where they are. While our attorneys tackle legal challenges, our advocates connect clients with appropriate resources.

The ideal candidate is someone who has ideas for programmatic development, experience implementing initiatives, understands the challenges of fundraising, and enjoys supervising new attorneys. Our organization has a full docket of discharge upgrade applications, including a long waitlist for services. While this position will be a management/supervisory role, we are a small organization so there is case work, as well. In line with our mission, our DU cases focus on the unjust treatment of individuals living with mental illness and those experiencing symptoms from the impact of trauma, both mental and physical. Our work covers discrimination based on race, sexual orientation, gender identity, and other characteristics subject to prejudice.

We are looking for an attorney who believes in a client-centric approach, which includes connecting veterans to partner services outside the legal sphere. The attorney should be someone who wants to fight for clients no matter the era, amount of time in service, justice involvement, discharge, or type of injury.

The position requires that the individual oversee staff (currently one staff attorney and a number of law students), research and write applications and briefs, collaborate with providers to obtain forensic psychiatric/psychological evaluations and maintain relationships with forensic programs, oversee the management of a pro bono docket, and appear before Department of Defense Review Boards. The attorney will also work with the executive director on systemic advocacy efforts and on fundraising to expand the practice.

Individuals with military service, prior experience working with veterans, people with disabilities, people of all gender identities, people from underrepresented communities, and people of color are strongly encouraged to apply.

Responsibilities:

• Represent clients before DOD boards and potentially in federal court;
• Write discharge upgrade applications and briefs;
• Screen (supervise the screening of) veterans for relief, including exhaustive investigation of military history, post-service conduct, and medical records;
• Share responsibility in overseeing law students working on investigations and briefs;
• Organize programs for and provide guidance to pro bono attorneys;
• Collaborate with expert witnesses, including forensic mental health professionals;
• Research legal issues, with a focus on military discharges;
• Provide telephone and/or written advice to clients;
• Supervise and work with staff on case strategies and integration of services to meet clients’ needs as holistically as possible;
• Work with the ED to shape policy positions and advocacy agenda;
• Assist in fundraising for the program, including identifying new sources and contributing to grant applications;
• Track client information in our database, run reports required by funders, attend meetings, perform administrative tasks related to the work.

Qualifications:

• Current member in good standing of a state bar;
• Minimum five years’ experience in veterans law matters:
• Knowledge of the discharge upgrade and records correction processes, including experience drafting applications to the BCMRs/BCNR and DRBs;
• Excellent analytical and critical thinking skills;
• Excellent organizational and time-management skills;
• Excellent communication skills, including a commitment to trauma-informed services and the ability to assist people living with mental health conditions, substance use disorders, and traumatic brain injury;
• Ability to work independently with strong motivation and initiative, to meet deadlines, and to be flexible;
• Experience managing projects and teams;
• Demonstrated commitment to social justice and veterans’ issues.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Knowledge of UCMJ, DODI, and branch regulations;
• Experience working with expert witnesses, specifically forensic mental health professionals.

Compensation: Salary is commensurate with experience and in the range of $88,000 – $118,000. Full benefits package including employer-paid healthcare premiums, life insurance, dental and vision plans, 401K, etc.

Location: The job is remote but proximity to the New York Metropolitan area is preferred given that the position is supported by a contract with the City of New York, along with various grants.

To apply: Please send a cover letter, resume, and a writing sample to [email protected] and include “Director” in the subject line. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. We read every application with care but regret that we are unable to respond to all inquiries and will contact only those candidates selected for further consideration.
Veteran Advocacy Project, Inc., is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will be afforded equal employment opportunities without discrimination because of race, religion/creed, color, national origin, immigration status, gender or gender identity, age, disability, sexual orientation, military status, caregiver status, arrest or conviction record, unemployment status, predisposing genetic characteristics, survivor of domestic/intimate partner violence status, or marital or partnership status.

VAP welcomes partnerships with law firms that would like to take on pro bono cases. There is a great need for family law services, representation in housing court, and assistance with military discharge upgrades. To learn more about volunteering with VAP please email us with “pro bono” in the subject line.

Discharge Upgrade Clinic: When servicemembers leave the military their discharge status determines what benefits, if any, they are eligible to receive. A bad discharge can be a barrier to employment, benefits, and health care. Worse, veterans with less than honorable discharges take their lives at two to three times the rate of other veterans. Many of our servicemembers are given less-than-honorable discharges due to misconduct connected to mis- or undiagnosed post-traumatic stress and traumatic brain injury. From 2011-2015, of the servicemembers who were discharged for misconduct, 62 percent had already been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder or a related mental health condition.   With an Other Than Honorable discharge most will be turned away from the VA. We are not only punishing injury, we are cutting them of from the very care they need to heal.

VAP is fighting to get these veterans the resources they deserve. For firms who would like to take on cases, we have a “hands-on” approach that includes a launch training, ongoing guidance, brief-editing, and we will coordinate moot hearings in preparation for any DRB appearances; we also have an online resource center with videos, sample applications, and more.

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VAP accepts law students and undergraduate applicants who will receive credit for the internship or who have a public interest grant. If you would like to intern with VAP but do not have funding in place, we will support your application for a grant or scholarship. A good place to start is your school’s public interest/career office. You can also search this free national database that is updated daily (requires registration). For more information about our internships, please see the opportunities below: