Cornell Law School’s Veterans Law Practicum was recognized with The Veterans Consortium’s 2025 Legal Scholars Award at the organization’s annual Pro Bono Mission Partner Awards ceremony held November 12 in Washington, D.C. The award celebrates practicum’s steadfast collaboration with The Veterans Consortium and its exceptional contributions to two of the organization’s flagship programs: the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims Pro Bono Program and the Discharge Upgrade Program.

Since January 2024, Veterans Law Practicum has accepted fifteen Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims appeals and nine discharge upgrade cases referred by The Veterans Consortium. Through these referrals, the Consortium has provided vital training, mentorship, and case placements that helped the practicum’s team rapidly build its capacity. As a result of the capacity developed through this partnership, the Veterans Law Practicum has now advised and represented more than 140 veterans in disability benefits appeals, discharge upgrades, and related civil legal matters that restore stability and dignity to those who served.

Launched in Fall 2023, the Veterans Law Practicum was born out of student initiative and vision. Fifth-year associate and Army JAG Reservist Logan Kenney ’21 (now with Wilkie Farr’s D.C. office) first recognized the need for a veterans law clinic at Cornell Law. Though unable to get approval during her time at the law school, Kenney entrusted the idea to a group of five student veterans from the Class of 2024. Among them was Patrick George, a fourteen-year Air Force veteran, current Air Force Reservist, and now a second-year associate at Latham & Watkins in Washington, D.C. Together, they successfully secured approval from Dean Ohlin for what was intended to be a one-semester pilot. Instead, they built enough momentum to establish a permanent program. Both Kenney and George joined Veterans Law Practicum Director Jimmy Hardwick at the awards ceremony in Washington to celebrate the program’s recognition by The Veterans Consortium.

The Veterans Consortium Pro Bono Program is a national nonprofit that provides free legal services to veterans and their families by partnering with law firms, corporations, and law schools nationwide. Its mission is to empower veterans who have been unjustly denied benefits or recognition to obtain the justice they deserve. The Consortium’s volunteer attorneys handle appeals before the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, discharge upgrades related to PTSD, military sexual trauma, and traumatic brain injury, as well as matters affecting women veterans and citizenship through service.

Over time, The Veterans Consortium has placed increasingly complex matters with the Law School’s Veterans Law Practicum, reflecting a relationship built on mutual trust and shared mission. “Whenever The Veterans Consortium reaches out with a case or a veteran in need, we always say yes,” said Hardwick. “They have been an indispensable ally from our very beginning.”

The collaboration also extends into the classroom. Each year, The Veterans Consortium attorneys join the Veterans Law Practicum seminar to introduce students to veterans-law practice and pro bono opportunities. Several recent graduates have already taken that connection to their AmLaw 100 and 200 firms, requesting placement on veterans’ cases through the Consortium in their first year of practice.

Looking ahead, the Veterans Law Practicum plans to expand its appellate advocacy to include benefits appeals to the Federal Circuit and federal judicial review of discharge upgrade denials, continuing to advance veterans’ rights and access to justice nationwide.