Christian Piatt
Host: Homeless Persons Representation Project
Sponsor: Covington & Burling LLP, Northrop Grumman Corporation
Current Fellow
Nathan Goncalves
- Hosted by Harriett Buhai Center for Family Law
- Sponsored by Equal Justice Works Text-to-Give
- Service location Los Angeles, California
- Law school University of California, Los Angeles School of Law
- Issue area Veterans' Rights
- Fellowship class year 2018
- Program Design Your Own Fellowship
The Project
Veterans face a wide range of issues when reintegrating with their respective communities. Much of the currently available support for veterans is focused on healthcare or obtaining benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs; however, very little attention is given to the importance of family reintegration and the impact it has on the success of veterans transitioning into the civilian population.
As a United States Army Veteran, Nathan has a comprehensive understanding of the veteran community. His project aims to ensure that there are free direct legal services to assist low-income veterans with unmet family law needs to facilitate family reunification, as well as providing much needed legal education at no cost.
Fellowship Plans
In the first six months, Nathan will:
- Prepare and distribute an announcement to service providers about the project and available services
- Contact veteran organizations to begin collaborative efforts to train volunteers on the unique challenges of working with the veteran community
- Prepare legal education material for outreach and Know Your Rights presentations
- Establish internal procedures for screening and accepting cases
- Begin accepting individual cases
L.A. has one of the largest veteran populations in the country and with most of the legal aid available focusing on VA Benefits, discharge upgrades, and healthcare issues, the importance of familial relationships and resolution is unfortunately overlooked. My work brings together the extensive network of veteran services in the L.A. area to address this unmet legal need.
Nathan Goncalves /
Equal Justice Works Fellow
Meet Other Fellows Like Nathan
Eleyse D’andrea
Host: William & Mary Law School’s Lewis B. Puller, Jr. Veterans Benefits Clinic
Sponsor: Hogan Lovells LLP, Lockheed Martin Corporation
Cherilyn Hansen
Host: Bay Area Legal Services
Sponsor: Greenberg Traurig, LLP, The Florida Bar Foundation
Justine Pelham
Host: Veteran Advocacy Project, Urban Justice Center
Sponsor: 21st Century Fox