Active military and retired veterans face a wide array of legal, medical, and political issues created by their unique circumstances. This year’s symposium, hosted by the National Security & Armed Conflict Law Review, will highlight some of these circumstances, while demonstrating ways that these special men and women can receive much needed assistance.
The symposium, titled "Veterans Affairs: Legal Issues Impacting Those Who Serve and Have Served," will be held on Friday, November 14 at the Student Activities Center and will offer two panels and an ethics presentation*.
The first panel on active military members will broadly discuss the new challenges our military will face in the near future. The function of the second panel on Veterans Affairs is to honor veterans and retired military members, while promoting scholarly dialogue about the surfeit of issues our retired military members face when transitioning back to the civilian world. The final presentation, on ethics, will address ethical issues unique to the representation of members of the military and their families in criminal and civil matters arising in Florida.
Panelists To Include:
Paul Freese, Vice President of Public Counsel, the nation’s largest provider of pro bono legal services.
Dr. Robert A. Seegmiller, Ph.D, ABPP-CN, Director of Postdoctoral Residency in Clinical Neuropsychology and a Staff Neuropsychologist in the Department of Behavior Medicine at Brooke Army Medical Center.
Dr. George D. Garcia, MD, FACS, Ret. Lt. Col. USA, and Trauma Surgeon at the Ryder Trauma Center at Jackson Memorial Hospital and an Assistant Professor of Surgery at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.
Dr. Deirdre Golden, M.D., M.S., J.D., L.L.M, Chair of the American Bar Association (ABA) Health Law Section, Public Health & Policy Interest Group.
Mariano Corcilli, President and Founder of The Corcilli Law Firm and a former Sergeant in United States Marine Corps, a disabled veteran, and an advocate for disabled veterans.
Circuit Court Judge Edward H. Merrigan, Jr., a combat veteran and a Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Army Reserves who was awarded a Bronze Star for his service in Iraq, who presides over a Juvenile Dependence Division in the Seventeenth Judicial Circuit Court of Florida and the Veterans Court in Broward County, a voluntary program designed for veterans who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces and are currently experiencing legal problems due to suffering from behavioral, mental health, or substance abuse disorders.
Lt. Col. Antonio Colmenares, USMC (Ret), Director of Veteran and Military Services at Miami-Dade College
Michelle Zielenski, LCSW, Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) Program Manager at the Bruce W. Carter Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Miami, Florida.
Details and Information:
The symposium will run from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday, November 14 at the Student Activities Center. For more information, visit the NSAC website or lscala@students.law.miami.edu, Senior Symposium Editor, National Security & Armed Conflict Law Review. The event is free and open to the public.
*The ethics presentation’s CLE credit is pending.
