When Veteran Students Are Valued, Law School Benefits

When Desaree Edwards ’28 was considering a career in law after serving in the U.S. Navy, she hoped to attend a law school that valued its veterans and the experiences they brought to the community. 

“There are aspects of being a veteran that require a different kind of support than more traditional pathways to law school,” she said. 

In 2023–24, Edwards participated in the YLS Launchpad Scholars Program, which helps students from underrepresented backgrounds prepare for and apply to law school. As she learned more about law schools during the yearlong program, Yale’s support for veterans stood out. 

“That commitment to veterans was the most influential factor in my decision to attend Yale,” she said.

Edwards served eight years as a nuclear machinist’s mate and became the first nuclear-trained enlisted female submariner in the Atlantic Fleet. After leaving the Navy, she attended Wesleyan University as a Pat Tillman Scholar and set her sights on a career in legal advocacy.

“The YLS admissions team went above and beyond to not only accommodate my needs but anticipate them,” she said. “Rather than trying to fit my experience in a box that already existed, they showed me that Yale values the perspectives that reshape the box entirely.”

A growing community

Edwards is among a community of veterans and service members at the Law School that has grown steadily in the last decade. Since 2017, the number of veterans has increased from 1% of the incoming class to 8% in the J.D. class of 2028. Across the current J.D. classes, 51 students are veterans.

The boost in veterans is the result of recruiting efforts and participation in the Yellow Ribbon program, which helps veterans pay for tuition and fees not covered by the Post-9/11 GI Bill. Former Dean Heather K. Gerken made recruitment of veterans and service members a priority during her deanship, and that commitment continues.

“Veterans bring so much to our community, and we are extraordinarily proud of their service,” said Interim Dean Yair Listokin ’05, the Shibley Family Fund Professor of Law. “Their leadership, their resilience, and their ability to work with people from all backgrounds reflect the best values of the Law School, and it’s a privilege to learn from them.”

As part of events marking Veterans Day at Yale, Listokin will host a breakfast for YLS veterans and service members. Yale University will hold a campus-wide ceremony on Beinecke Plaza at 12:00 p.m. to honor military service members past and present, followed by a reception later in the afternoon at the Law School organized by the Yale Veteran and Military Affairs Office. 

Like Edwards, Kate Ahrens ’27 was reassured the discover the number of veterans at the Law School as she was considering a pivot to a career in law.

Ahrens chose to make a midcareer switch after 14 years of service in the U.S. Coast Guard. “Seeing that other people had done that, and that I wouldn’t come to law school and be the only veteran — that was really important to me,” she said.

Ahrens, who rose to become a lieutenant commander in the Coast Guard, is continuing her service during law school with the Coast Guard Reserve, spending a couple of weekends a year on active duty and standing by to be called to service during emergencies.

“I love the Coast Guard, and I’m excited there are options to stay involved with it and also pursue my dreams,” she said.

Veterans and service members at the Law School have served in every branch of the military and bring a wide range of experiences to classroom discussions and student life. 

Ross Puritty ’26, who deployed to the Middle East and Afghanistan during his service in the U.S. Army, says veterans can help their classmates understand the impact of decisions made in Washington, D.C.

“Veterans have been at the implementation phase of these decisions, and whether it’s stateside or in deployments or in combat, they get to share these experiences with classmates who haven't had these same perspectives,” he said. “As a result, we end up with a law school class that has a better understanding of what the second- and third-order effects of these decisions are, how they impact people.” 

Emily Elledge ’26, who came to Yale Law School after a career piloting Osprey aircraft in the U.S. Marine Corps, said the presence of veterans on campus also helps bridge the civilian-military divide.

“I think it’s really important to help bridge that gap and show that veterans are just like everyone else in society,” she said. “We all come from different backgrounds. We all had different experiences in the service. We don't all believe the same thing. We’re very much individuals.” 

Edwards also noted that veterans are multidimensional and are involved in nearly every organization and student group at the Law School. 

“While they often take on leadership or mentorship roles, it’s clear that their veteran identity is only one aspect of their passion and engagement,” she said. “It informs, rather than defines, our experiences here.”

The leadership skills that veterans acquire during their service transfer to law school and beyond, Puritty said. 

“Veterans have worked with people from all walks of life, from across the United States, all socioeconomic backgrounds, racial backgrounds," he said. "You learn how to work with people and understand where they’re coming from. I think that experience is invaluable.”

Clinic advocates for veterans

During their time at the Law School, many student veterans continue to stay involved in the veterans’ community through the Veterans Legal Services Clinic.  

Established in 2010, the clinic represents veterans in litigation before administrative agencies and courts and does groundbreaking work in areas including veterans’ benefits, discharge upgrades, immigration, civil rights, and habeas petitions. The clinic also represents local and national organizations in systemic litigation including class action suits.

On Nov. 13, clinic students are scheduled to present argument before a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims in Skaar v. Collins. This is the second appellate argument this year in the clinic’s representation of veterans of a 1966 nuclear cleanup at Palomares, Spain in their fight for Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) recognition and benefits, and the clinic’s third appellate argument overall this year. This suit seeks to establish the power of the VA to aggregate administrative appeals at the agency level, also called agency class actions, as approximately 70 other federal agencies do. 

On behalf of the National Veterans Legal Services Program, the clinic has also advocated for legislation that would promote aggregation of VA administrative appeals and on judicial review of VA decisions. Students — including current clinic members Lexi Raikes ’27 and Mady Reno ’27 — visited Capitol Hill in the spring and the fall this year to meet with key legislative staff.

Clinic Faculty Director Mike Wishnie ’93, the William O. Douglas Clinical Professor of Law, also testified before a House subcommittee in June in support of the aggregation legislation. The House Veterans Affairs Committee unanimously approved the bill, and a bipartisan companion bill is pending before the Senate.