(Pictured L-R: Yonatan Shoshan, Cole Smith, Timothy MacArthur, Dan Krupa)
Legal clinics play a crucial role in both legal education and community service by bridging the gap between academic instruction and practical legal experience. The Antonin Scalia Law School’s Mason Veterans and Servicemembers Legal Clinic (M-VETS) at George Mason University is proud to announce its feature in the April 2026 issue of Virginia Lawyer. The article, titled “Virginia Veteran Clinics: Educating Law Students with Real Clients Earning Real Results,” highlights the vital work M-VETS does in providing essential legal services to veterans, servicemembers, and their dependents.
M-VETS not only assists veterans, servicemembers, and their dependents in navigating complex legal issues but also serves as a hands-on training ground for Scalia law students. As highlighted in the Virginia Lawyer article, second-semester M-VETS student advisor Dan Krupa represented and advocated for a veteran at a Board of Veterans’ Appeals hearing concerning the appeal of a Department of Veterans Affairs disability benefits denial. Dan stated that “thanks to the students before him and MacArthur’s guidance, he felt fully prepared when he stood in front of the judge.” Krupa continued, “Although I was a student serving as co-counsel, I had a fiduciary duty to represent our client diligently and professionally. Professor MacArthur spent countless hours working closely with me to prepare. Serving as a 2L student advisor in M-VETS has been an incredibly rewarding experience. Unlike hypothetical classroom exercises, this Board of Veterans’ Appeals hearing had a real, tangible impact on a Vietnam-era veteran who honorably served our country and continues to live with the effects of that service.”
Through experiences such as this, student advisors gain invaluable practical skills while making a meaningful impact on the lives of those who have served our country. Reflecting on his first semester in M-VETS, second-year Scalia law student Yonatan Shoshan provided, “M-VETS has been one of the most impactful experiences of my legal education. I’ve gained a better understanding of the VA appeals process and the complexities involved in benefits decisions, while also witnessing firsthand how even minor past issues can lead to long-term consequences for veterans. Through my work on VA disability claims and discharge upgrades, I have built meaningful connections with clients and developed the skills necessary to advocate effectively on their behalf. Working directly with veterans on real cases has been incredibly meaningful and has strengthened my sense of responsibility to handle each case with diligence, professionalism, and a strong commitment to achieving just outcomes.”
“Our commitment to serving veterans, servicemembers, and their dependents is at the core of what we do in M-VETS,” said M-VETS Director Timothy M. MacArthur. “We are honored to be recognized in Virginia Lawyer and to showcase the significant contributions our student advisors make in supporting the military and veteran community in the Commonwealth of Virginia.”
The article can be accessed at https://vsb.org/GP/Site/news/virginia-lawyer-magazine.aspx
For more information about M-VETS and our work, please visit https://mvets.law.gmu.edu/
M-VETS offers Scalia law students practical experience addressing the legal needs of the military and veteran community. Through this clinical program, M-VETS student advisors develop legal research, client advocacy, and case management skills while actively assisting active-duty servicemembers, veterans, and their dependents with administrative, litigation, and non-litigation matters. Their responsibilities include appealing Department of Veterans Affairs disability and educational benefit denials, representing clients before the Board of Veterans’ Appeals and the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, and drafting legal briefs in support of applications for military discharge upgrades and corrections to military records. As a result, M-VETS student advisors graduate with direct experience managing real cases and a deeper understanding of servicemember and veteran-related legal issues.