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