News
Maine Law student Neil Riley assists veterans in need
Oct. 30, 2012
PORTLAND, Maine – Maine Law student and U.S. Army veteran Neil Riley was featured by Channel 6 (WCSH) in Portland on Saturday, Oct. 27, for his volunteer work helping other veterans obtain benefits.
Riley and five other volunteers spent time with veterans on Saturday at the Portland Public Library, as part of a free legal aid clinic sponsored by the Maine Volunteers Lawyers Project. Although Riley is still a student and does not have his license to practice law in Maine, he is allowed to advise veterans in these matters because he has been accredited by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
“It is complex and you have a lot of questions and there’s not necessarily someone you can come to and just say, I need you to explain this particular benefit to me, or how do I apply for that,” Riley told WCSH reporter Sarah Delage.
Veterans who receive help from an attorney are 70 percent more likely to have a positive outcome when filing claims, and also receive an average of $6,000 more per year in benefits, according to the National Organization of Veteran Advocates.
“We're here to kind of assist them, go through their records and help determine what they’re eligible for,” Riley told Delage. “If they need a copy of their records, we'll help them get it.”
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Media contact: Trevor Maxwell, communications director at Maine Law
Office: 207-228-8037/ Cell: 207-286-4431/ email: trevor.maxwell@maine.edu
