Stephen Jordon Executive Director
Steve Jordon is the Executive Director of The Veterans Consortium (TVC) Pro Bono Program, a national nonprofit that provides free legal services to veterans in federal courts. Under his leadership, TVC’s programs assist veterans in appealing benefit denials, handle cases that reach the U.S. Supreme Court, and support discharge upgrades for veterans affected by PTSD, military trauma, and related mental health issues.
Previously, Steve led the Northern Virginia Technology Council’s Veterans Employment Initiative, helping over 16,000 veterans transition to civilian employment. He retired as a Navy Captain after 30 years of service, during which he served as a helicopter pilot and held significant roles, including Naval Attaché to Canada.
Steve holds degrees from Tulane University and the Naval War College and is certified in Non-Profit Management He co-founded the Emma Jordon Kidz Fighting Cancer Foundation, serves on various boards, and actively supports veteran and military family programs
CourtneyL.Smith,Esq.
DeputyExecutiveDirector
Courtney Smith is the Deputy Executive Director at The Veterans Consortium Pro Bono Program, where she oversees its national program for veterans denied military benefits. She leads a team of 17 attorneys, 11 support staff, and thousands of volunteers who provide veterans with free legal representation on a range of issues She represents The Veterans Consortium Pro Bono Program at numerous national legal events
Courtney has reviewed thousands of cases, placing more than 3,500 with volunteer attorneys, and supports unrepresented appellants through TVC’s Helpline, which she helped establish in 2014. She also manages TVC’s externship and fellowship programs and engages with law schools. Previously, she clerked for Chief Judge William P Greene, Jr at the U S Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims. A graduate of the University of Richmond and Howard University School of Law, Courtney is admitted to practice in New Jersey, New York, and before the CAVC. She holds a nonprofit management certificate from Georgetown University and participated in the U.S. Army War College National Security Seminar. She lives in Texas with her family
Executive Board Directors
William S. Foster, Jr., Esq., Chairman Northrop Grumman Corporation
Aniela Szymanski, Esq., Vice Chairman
Chief Warrant and Warrant Officers Association of the U.S. Coast Guard
Roy E. Spicer, Director Disabled American Veterans
Leonard J. Selfon, Esq., CAE, Secretary & Director Paralyzed Veterans of America
John Muckelbauer, Esq., Director Veterans of Foreign Wars of the U.S.
Lee Gardner, Esq., Director Google
Richard V. Spataro, Esq., Director National Veterans Legal Services Program
Mario A. Marquez, Director
The American Legion
Kari Jolly, Treasurer
RSM US LLP
VETERAN SERVING ORGANIZATIONS
TheVeteransConsortium PROBONOPROGRAM
Manatt Phelps & Phillips LLP
American Legion Alston & Bird kin Gu
Tiffany Li, Esq.
Chairman’s Award Recipient
The Veterans Consortium Pro Bono Program congratulates Tiffany Li of American Honda Motor Co , Inc for receiving the 2024 Chairman’s Award in recognition of her outstanding record of service to our nation’s veterans and their families, caregivers, and survivors
Tiffany began volunteering for The Veterans Consortium in 2018 when she became a first-year associate with our longstanding Mission Partner, Quarles & Brady, LLP
On her first appeals case before the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, Tiffany secured a partial remand after the filing of the appellant’s opening brief. This experience left a lasting impression on her, and she continued serving veterans after she left Quarles & Brady to join Norton Rose Fulbright, and later when she transitioned to Honda
Tiffany’s passion and commitment make a tangible difference in the lives of our nation’s defenders and their loved ones. To recognize her steadfast commitment to the cause, in June of 2023, Tiffany earned the Volunteer Inspiring Pro Bono lawyer, or “VIP” award as a stand-out member of TVC’s National Volunteer Corps.
Tiffany has drafted more than 20 detailed screening memoranda for The Veterans Consortium, identifying errors in the Board of Veterans’ Appeals decisions Her effective research, writing, and editing skills as well as her uninhibited zeal for veterans law helped ensure that every case that Tiffany screened resulted in a favorable ruling, giving veterans another chance to get the benefits they earned
Justina Byers, Esq.
Disabled American Veterans (DAV) Charitable Service Trust Award
It is a privilege to honor Justina L Byers of Blank Rome LLP with this year’s DAV Charitable Service Trust Award for her dedication and impactful pro bono work with veterans through The Veterans Consortium.
Justina began her legal career at Blank Rome in 1987, focusing on commercial litigation and product liability. In 2020, Justina received training from The Veterans Consortium, and took on her first Discharge Upgrade case - a Desert Storm veteran battling severe PTSD after a harrowing combat experience
“His anguish was truly heartbreaking,” Justina shared Because these types of cases move in fits and starts, the constant uncertainty can be incredibly stressful for veterans But having Justina on his side throughout kept her client on solid ground emotionally until the court decided in his favor This experience opened her eyes to the obstacles many veterans may face as they try to get essential benefits.
Justina says she’s thankful for Blank Rome’s ongoing dedication to veterans and pro bono work “My work with veterans across the country has been deeply rewarding for me, both personally and professionally. It's so gratifying to help these men and women who’ve risked their lives for our country. As attorneys, we can’t always see the impact we can have But with my clients from The Veterans Consortium, I really know I’ve made a huge difference in their lives.”
Justina is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania Law School.
Law Firm Pro Bono Mission Partner Award
Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLP began its long-term pro bono advocacy of veterans before the U S Court of Appeals for Veterans Claim in 1993 when Thomas W. Stoever Jr started working with The Veterans Consortium as a charter member of our National Volunteer Corps.
Since then, Arnold & Porter attorneys have led the charge in more than 30 cases for The Veterans Consortium, including Henderson v. Shinseki, which went to the U.S. Supreme Court and resulted in a unanimous favorable decision
Arnold & Porter attorneys have continued to develop the equitable tolling doctrine through their cases. They have also helped veterans get access to their own records when representing themselves before the VA
Beyond Tom, every year, the attorneys of Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLP dedicate more than a hundred thousand hours to pro bono work, and the firm is regularly honored for their volunteer service to individuals and nonprofits. In addition to supporting veterans, the firm also takes on cutting-edge impact litigation aimed at systemic change, individual representation for people who cannot afford counsel, regulatory and public policy advocacy, and nonprofit counseling.
Arnold & Porter’s lawyers regularly handle pro bono matters relating to civil rights litigation, criminal justice reform, immigration, housing, poverty law, and reducing gun violence.
Attorneys there consider pro bono service one of the many reasons they consider Arnold & Porter their professional home.
Shook, Hardy & Bacon L.L.P. Community Impact Award
The Veterans Consortium Pro Bono Program congratulates Shook, Hardy & Bacon L L P and their Partner and Director of Pro Bono, Scot Fishman, on their selection as the recipient of this year’s Community Impact Award for demonstrating excellence and dedication in service to the unique and emerging legal needs of our Nation’s Defenders and their families.
As a team, the firm’s pro bono participants have earned victory after victory for veterans across a wide range of legal challenges. Over the past three years, the team has won 45 of their 49 cases in front of the U S Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims and they’ve restored the honor of six veterans who’d received unfair discharges.
To expand their impact this year, Senior Counsel Fred Rudesheim Jr began leading a Discharge Upgrade Screening Memo Project, carefully searching for the legal arguments needed to help more than six veterans receive the benefits they earned
Firm leaders also introduced their clients to the benefits of pro bono work with The Veterans Consortium, proving more legal muscle to our Veterans Naturalization Assistance Program
The attorneys at Shook Hardy & Bacon L L P have an outstanding record of service, and make a real and meaningful difference in the lives of men and women who served our country They are true partners in every sense of the word and have gone beyond the call of duty
University of Florida Levin College of Law, Veterans and Servicemembers Legal Clinic
Legal Scholars Award Recipient
The Veterans Consortium Pro Bono Program congratulates the University of Florida Levin College of Law’s Veterans and Servicemembers Legal Clinic for receiving the Legal Scholars Award. Join us in recognizing their extensive work on behalf of veterans under the leadership of Law Professor Judy Clausen.
The University of Florida Veterans Legal Clinic has been one of The Veterans Consortium’s Mission Partners since the clinic’s inception in 2019. Over the past five years, Professor Clausen and her students have taken on 53 federal appellate cases achieving a remarkable 97% success rate
Their dedication to their veteran clients continues beyond the Court, as Professor Clausen and her students continue working on the same cases as they continue on to the Department of Veterans Affairs to ensure service connection is awarded and implemented
To date, this team has secured more than $2 million in retroactive benefits and approximately $8.5 million in future compensation Professor Clausen and her students also have won six Discharge Upgrade cases, restoring the benefits and dignity that these veterans rightfully earned during their military service
Beyond helping veterans, the clinic shapes its students’ careers as they go on to serve as judge advocates, attorneys in private law firms working veteran-related pro bono projects, legal aid attorneys, lawyers at nonprofits, and civilian federal and state government attorneys
The University of Florida team has gone above and beyond the call of duty on behalf of our Nation’s Defenders and is a model for others to emulate
U.S COURT OF APPEALS FOR VETERANS CLAIMS
The United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, established by Congress through the Veterans' Judicial Review Act (VJRA) in 1988, provides independent judicial review of Board of Veterans' Appeals decisions. Before the VJRA, veterans denied VA benefits had no right to appeal Board rulings. The Court, separate from the Department of Veterans Affairs, has exclusive jurisdiction over final Board decisions based on agency records and written briefs, with oral arguments held only for new legal issues.
Located in Washington, D.C., the Court can convene anywhere in the U.S., occasionally holding sessions at law schools for educational outreach. It consists of seven permanent Judges and two temporary positions, with Judges serving 15-year terms. Retired Judges may serve as recall-eligible Senior Judges retaining full judicial authority.
PRO BONO PROGRAM FOR VETERANS
At the request of Chief Judge Frank Q. Nebeker, the Federal Pro Bono Program for Veterans was established by Congress in Public Law 102-229 in 1992 The program provides free legal assistance to veterans who cannot afford representation in cases under 38 U S C § 7252(a) or other Court proceedings It offers case screening, attorney training, and encourages pro bono services through bar members, law school clinics, and veterans service organizations The Legal Services Corporation administers grants or contracts for the program with funding from the Court.
