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MOBILE LAW CLINIC FOR VETERANS GOES NATIONAL --

When the phone lines began ringing at dawn, the dean of

University of Detroit Mercy's School of Law knew his staff

had stepped into a need bigger than they'd ever imagined.

Mike Gardner of the Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 154 checks out the University of Detroit's mobile law unit to learn about a program that will provide free legal services. (photo by Amy Leang, Detroit Free Press)

For previous stories about the mobile law office for veterans, use the VA Watchdog search engine...click here...
http://www.yourvabenefits.org/sessearch.php?q=UDM&op=and

We have two stories today.

First story here... http://www.freep.com/apps/pb
cs.dll/article?AID=/20080206/NEWS05/802060334/1001/NEWS

Story below:

-------------------------

UDM to take mobile law clinic for vets national

By ROBIN ERB
FREE PRESS EDUCATION WRITER

When the phone lines began ringing at dawn, the dean of University of Detroit Mercy's School of Law knew his staff had stepped into a need bigger than they'd ever imagined.

It was April 21 and UDM law students were rolling out a mobile clinic that would travel around metro Detroit to offer veterans free legal help in obtaining federal benefits.

"It was 6:12 a.m. That was our first call," Dean Mark Gordon said.

They didn't stop. A veteran from the West Coast phoned: "He was actually crying. ... He felt so abandoned and was so pleased that someone was listening," Gordon said.

Now, less than a year after its debut, the service is going on a national tour. The clinic -- for now in a converted Winnebago -- heads out Thursday for an American Legion post in San Antonio. As it tours the country, it will be staffed by UDM students and faculty. UDM staff also will work with local attorneys in each city who will offer pro bono work.

UDM's original van will continue to tour metro Detroit, Gordon said.

Veterans long have complained that they are often unable to get their benefits because of fragmented and overloaded veterans offices. Some veterans don't realize they're entitled to benefits, said Tyrone Chatman, a Vietnam veteran and associate director of the Michigan Veterans Foundation/Detroit Veterans Center, which offers emergency shelter and transitional housing for veterans.

"They just couldn't get plugged in" to benefits, said Chatman, 55. "For whatever the reason the system wasn't there for them."

The students began dropping by the center last year, and Chatman said a number of its veterans are now in the long pipeline to get services -- a process that can take months.

And the clinic soon will have fancier digs -- a wheelchair-accessible, top-of-the-line 2008 Winnebago Outlook 31C that is being customized by General Motors Corp.

"This doesn't really fall into anything we do, but it's such an intriguing project," said E. Christopher Johnson Jr., vice president and general counsel for GM North America.

Contact ROBIN ERB at 313-222-2708 or rerb@freepress.com.

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Second story here... http://www.law.udmercy.edu/nattourkickoff.php

Story below:

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UNIVERSITY OF DETROIT MERCY SCHOOL OF LAW LAUNCHES NATIONAL TOUR TO PROVIDE PRO BONO ASSISTANCE EXCLUSIVELY ON FEDERAL BENEFITS ISSUES TO VETERANS

National Tour Kicks off in Detroit where Assistance Began. School Asks Pro Bono Attorneys Around the Country to Assist Veterans

This week, the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law (UDM Law) launches its nationwide tour of its Mobile Law Office (MLO) which will provide free assistance and/or representation to thousands of low-income veterans exclusively on federal benefits issues throughout the United States. The tour officially kicks off in Detroit on Thursday, February 7, at 10:00 a.m. at the UDM Law Atrium at the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law, 651 E. Jefferson, across from the Renaissance Center in downtown Detroit. To register, visit our registration page . To donate to the Veterans Clinic, visit our Veterans Clinic donation page.
Click here to download the schedule and parking flyer.

UDM Law is the only law school in the country with an MLO, a Recreational Vehicle that has been outfitted as a law office. For the national tour, General Motors is donating a specially designed, custom built, state-of-the-art RV. Through the MLO, volunteer attorneys and UDM Law faculty and students counseled and/or otherwise assisted over 800 people during the past year. The MLO has made numerous stops at regional senior centers, churches, and other similar facilities, as well as regular stops at facilities where veterans congregate.

“When we started our Veterans Clinic, we were overwhelmed by the response and the requests for assistance from veterans both in Michigan and around the country,” said Mark Gordon, Dean of the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law. “Our veterans deserve the best care available, and with the nationwide launch of our MLO, our Veterans Clinic will be able to help additional low-income veterans seeking federal benefits assistance.”

To maximize the reach and impact of UDM Law’s national MLO tour, a number of local attorneys and legal support groups will be assisting low-income veterans exclusively with federal benefits in a pro bono capacity in each city. During the tour, UDM Law will provide training on federal benefits issues to attorneys around the nation who are willing to donate time to assist veterans on a pro bono basis. The law school is also asking additional law firms and attorneys across the country to volunteer providing pro bono assistance to veterans.

Post-Newsweek Stations, Inc. is the television sponsor of MLO events in six major markets: Detroit, San Antonio, Houston, Orlando, Miami, and Jacksonville.

After the kickoff in Detroit, the tour’s first stop will be in San Antonio, Texas from Wednesday, February 13 through Friday, February 15. at the American Legion Alamo Post #2 and at Texas Rio Grande Legal Aid.

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posted by Larry Scott
Founder and Editor
VA Watchdog dot Org

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