VALOR serves veterans statewide

After service, it can be tough for veterans to find a sense of community, but the Veterans Advocacy Legal Organization in the UNC School of Law hopes to provide that for Tar Heel veterans and their advocates.  

VALOR provides pro bono legal services to veterans and education and a community for military-affiliated students and supporters.  

“Military communities are very tight knit,” said Will Etringer ’23, the president of VALOR and a second-year law student. “When individuals from those communities get to law school, it can feel a little quiet, so we try to provide that sense of community for them.” 

The organization hosts events for students to refine their skills outside of the classroom, like learning client counseling techniques.  

Law students can also participate in projects like drafting military discharge upgrades or helping service members discharged on less than honorable conditions obtain Veterans Affairs or military benefits.   

“Sometimes you meet a homeless veteran, and you really can’t help them, but you can give this person an opportunity to tell their story and be proud of their service,” said Will Meekins ’23 (JD), the former organization president. “As an attorney, you can’t help every person, but sometimes clients just need someone to listen.”  

This year, the organization visited Fort Liberty in Fayetteville, helping U.S. Army judge advocates general to write hundreds of wills for military retirees.  

The “most impactful” VALOR trip, according to Etringer and Meekins, is the annual spring break trip to Asheville. The students go to a homeless shelter for veterans, researching their eligibility for VA benefits or housing assistance. Some veterans may have medical problems and need help getting access to mental health treatment.  

“My favorite thing as a veteran myself was seeing students think about veterans’ issues and get excited about what they learned or how they tried to help somebody,” Meekins said. “They got to learn about important issues facing veterans, and they might not have done that if VALOR didn’t exist.”  

VALOR members interview a veteran to assess their needs during the organization’s spring break trip to Asheville. (Submitted photo)

Along with assisting veterans across the state and at Carolina, VALOR provides community for military advocates and affiliates, like Etringer and Meekins.  

Etringer’s father served as an artillery officer with the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War and then was an attorney in Mount Airy and Eden later in his career. After he was diagnosed with lung cancer, Etringer’s father relied on pro bono services to obtain VA benefits. Etringer currently receives VA education and health benefits because of his father’s service-connected death in 2014.  

“I think my dad was my main inspiration in studying veterans’ law and joining VALOR,” Etringer said.  

Meekins served as an active-duty infantry officer for seven years after graduating from the U.S. Military Academy and then attended Carolina’s law school. He now is an injury attorney practicing in western North Carolina and serves in the Army Reserve.  

“When you leave active duty and you pick up your family and move to a new place, you can be a little lonely,” Meekins said. “For me, it was nice to feel like a part of a community that still cared about the military.”  

Etringer hopes to apply to U.S. Air Force judge advocate general corps after his graduation from law school in 2026, and Meekins hopes to continue to help others as an attorney. Both will hold on to the lessons they learned from participating in VALOR.  

The organization hopes to continue providing community events and a space for veterans and their advocates to learn from each other.