In 2012, Golden Gate University law professor Rachel Van Cleave overheard a conversation between two student veterans at a neighboring law school that she still remembers vividly.

“People don’t get us here,” one said to the other. 

“I went back to Golden Gate, and I thought, ‘Do we have students who have served in the military who feel like people don’t get them?’” Van Cleave said in an interview. “I asked different student services and things like that and they said, ‘Yeah, we do.’”

A short time later, Van Cleave, then-dean of the GGU School of Law, met in her office with six students who had served in the military. 

“I said, ‘Look, I don’t even pretend to know your experiences in the military or what it’s like being in law school now but tell me how we can best support you,’” Van Cleave recalled.

Though she’d called the meeting, they brought the agenda, asking for a student group, an increase in Yellow Ribbon funds and a way to serve veterans in their community. 

And thus was born the Veterans Legal Advocacy Center.

It’s essentially an “on-campus law firm,” said Den Devoy, who was hired as the director when the center officially launched in 2014. The group provides pro bono legal services to veterans seeking help with Department of Veterans Affairs benefits, such as compensation for service-related injuries. It also helps with discharge upgrades for veterans who received less-than-honorable discharges related to things like post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury, military sexual trauma or their sexual orientation under the Don’t Ask Don’t Tell era. 

Law students certified under the State Bar of California's Practical Training of Law Students Program (PTLS) staff the clinic, meet with clients — about 15 to 20 veterans per term — and argue cases before judges with Devoy as the supervising attorney.

“I’m in court, too, but I let them do the talking,” he said.

The clinic has had student veterans work there and has helped other GGU student veterans as clients.

“Veterans aren’t really ones to ask for help; it wasn’t until I asked our students, ‘How can we assist you?’ They hadn’t been making noise, shall we say,” Van Cleave said. “I’ve just been really inspired by all the work that Dan has done with the clinic and really think that it’s been a really great experience for students. I’ve also talked to a number of students who’ haven’t served — maybe they have family or friends who have — and feel like they’re doing really great work and serving these veterans who have served us as a country.”