Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims Bar Association

COURT OF APPEALS FOR VETERANS CLAIMS BAR ASSOCIATION

ELECTION BALLOT 2015-2016

Instructions: Please complete, print (either conventionally or convert to PDF),

and return via email to:

(please write "Election Ballot" in subject line)

Completed ballots must be received via email by Friday, September 18, 2015. Election

results will be announced at the Annual Meeting on Tuesday, September 29, 2015.

OFFICERS

President-Elect (Vote for no more than one):

____ Megan Kral, Department of Veterans Affairs – Office of General Counsel, PSG VII

____Write In:______

Secretary (Vote for no more than one):

____ David Boelzner, Goodman Allen & Filletti

____Write In:______

Treasurer (Vote for no more than one):

____ Elizabeth M. Pesin, Veterans Consortium Pro Bono Program

____ Write In:______

BOARD OF GOVERNORS (Vote for no more than four)

____ Jamie M. Atwood, ABS Legal Advocates, P.A.

Jamie M. Atwood received her Juris Doctorate from the University of Kansas in May 2006, and an MBA from the University of Missouri in Kansas City in 2009. She is admitted to practice before the Kansas and Missouri Supreme Courts, the CAVC and the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. Jamie has been representing veterans and their survivors since February 2007 at ABS Legal Advocates, P.A., where she is currently a Senior Associate.

____ Jeremy Bedford. Veterans Consortium Pro Bono Program

Jeremy Bedford is an attorney with the Veterans Consortium Pro Bono Program where he advocates on behalf of veterans before the Court. His responsibilities include direct representation of veterans and also screening cases for merit and referring them to pro bono attorneys for representation. Prior to joining the Consortium, Jeremy served as the Senior Attorney for Vietnam Veterans of America where he advocated on behalf of veterans before the Board of Veterans’ Appeals. He also served as a law clerk with the Board during law school. Jeremy is an active member of the CAVC Bar Association as he has volunteered as a presenter in the Law School Outreach Program and also as a judge for the National Veterans Law Moot Court Competition. Additionally, Jeremy has over 13 years of service (10 enlisted) in the Army National Guard and is currently a Judge Advocate in the DC Army National Guard where he is assigned to the Legal Support Office of the National Guard Bureau. He is a veteran of Operation Enduring Freedom and is a military spouse as his wife is currently serving on active duty with the Army. Jeremy teaches a CLE on veterans’ law with the Virginia State Bar Military Law Committee and has published scholarly articles in The Army Lawyer and The Federal Lawyer pertaining to the applicability of VA benefits to National Guard Soldiers. Jeremy is a member of NOVA, the Federal Bar Association’s Veterans and Military Law Section, and the 2016 CAVC Judicial Conference Committee.

____ Joshua R. Castillo, Board of Veterans’ Appeals

Joshua Castillo is an attorney with the Board of Veterans Appeals, where he drafts decisions for approval by Veterans Law Judges. He serves as a managing editor of the Veterans Law Review and became a member of the CAVC Bar Association in November 2013. Since then, he has participated in the cleaning of the Vietnam War Memorial, attended the Bar’s February 2015 CLE, arranged a viewing of the April 2015 panel discussion for the Board’s membership, and volunteered with the National Veterans Law Moot Court Competition.

____ Lindsay Luken, U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims

Lindsay Luken is currently a law clerk to Judge Alan G. Lance, Sr. During her two years at the CAVC, she has assisted in organizing and judging the National Veterans Law Moot Court Competition and is now the NVLMCC's Assistant Director. Prior to graduating from The George Washington University Law School in May 2013, Lindsay served on the Federal Circuit Bar Journal and was a member of The GW Domestic Violence Clinic. Lindsay is originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, and graduated from Tulane University in 2010 with a Bachelor's degree in history.

____ Jane Nichols, Board of Veterans’ Appeals

Jane Nichols serves as Special Counsel to the Principal Deputy Vice Chairman at the Board of Veterans’ Appeals. As Special Counsel, Ms. Nichols provides counsel to Board leadership as they strive to address the legal, procedural, and technological concerns that plague the VA appeals process to enable the Board to complete its mission to serve our Nation’s Veterans by conducting hearings and adjudicating appeals in an accurate, timely manner. One of her primary duties is to keep Board judges and attorneys abreast of the evolving legal landscape of Veteran Law, at both the CAVC and the Federal Circuit. She works closely with VA’s Office of Information & Technology on behalf of the Board to ensure that the Veterans Benefits Management System (VBMS) is used effectively and efficiently in the adjudication of VA appeals. As an attorney at the Board, she has extensive experience drafting Board decisions.

After participating in the 2nd Annual Bench and Bar Conference, she understands the importance of building and maintaining collaborative relationships to address issues that affect this unique legal community and ultimately our Veterans. She is interested in serving on the CAVC Board of Governors to further engage the members and the community by organizing relevant events based upon the topics identified as important by the various stakeholders. Ms. Nichols has previously served as the Vice President for Community Affairs for a professional bar association and has experience with organizing events, including a judicial sensitivity training/CLE for the 80+ judges in the D.C. Superior Court.

____ Jenny J. Tang, Board of Veterans’ Appeals

Jenny J. Tang has served as Associate Counsel with the Board of Veterans’ Appeals since September 2013, and she is dedicated to serving Veterans. Jenny has contributed to multiple initiatives for improving the practice of Veterans Law, including James Ridgway’s CAVC Remand Data Project, the results of which were presented at the Bench and Bar this year. Jenny’s other contributions include a training on inferred special monthly compensation for her workgroup of three Veterans Law Judges (VLJs) and their attorneys, and these training materials will be incorporated into a later Board-wide training. Jenny has also authored the Comment “Getting to the Root of It: Broadening the Scope of Claims after DeLisio v. Shinseki,” forthcoming in the Veterans Law Review.

Jenny would bring to the Board of Governors six years of committee experience and two years of experience serving on the Executive Board of an alumni chapter in a professional legal organization, Phi Alpha Delta Law Fraternity, International (PAD). Currently, she serves as a District Justice in PAD, leading nine law school chapters and two alumni chapters in northern Virginia, DC, and Maryland. She has organized large PAD events, including one at SCOTUS attended by Justice Sotomayor and during which she introduced a VLJ as an honorary member of PAD. Jenny believes that her knowledge of Veterans Law and her experience with leadership, event planning, and working with students and legal professionals will further the CAVC Bar Association’s aims to promote Veterans Law education and provide excellent Veterans Law programming.

____Write In:______