Law Students Help Veterans in S.C. with Benefits

South Carolina's military veterans are getting free legal help filing or appealing benefits claims with the Veterans Administration.

The Richland County Bar Association's Young Lawyers Division has teamed up with Service Members and Veterans in Law, a student organization at the University of South Carolina School of Law.

On Saturday, the groups were set to begin Richland County's Project Salute. Volunteer attorneys, many of whom have served in the military, planned a session to advise veterans about benefits and the claims process, and answer questions.

Organizers say the event Saturday at the University of South Carolina School of Law's Columbia campus is their first in the state, and they hope to schedule more.

"This is the first time we've done it. It's a learning experience," organizer and attorney Will Harter said.

The 33-year-old attorney is a former Marine Corps helicopter crew chief who served for five years from 1998 to 2003 and deployed to Japan and Iraq.

After returning to South Carolina to attend the university, Harter said he went on to get a law degree, as have several others who are working on the effort.

The students from the law school aren't able to provide legal advice, which is left to the volunteer attorneys, but they helped organize the event.

South Carolina is host to eight major military installations. In all, there are nearly 133,000 uniformed military members, civilian Department of Defense workers and military retirees living in the state.

The Veterans Administration requires attorneys who assist veterans to be admitted to the bar and have three hours of specific training about its processes, Harter said.

While the volunteer attorneys are able to provide legal guidance, the law students have helped by putting out fliers, contacting veterans' organizations and reaching out to military veterans among the region's homeless population, Harter said.

Harter said the new joint program is patterned on one first established by the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law.

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