CARBONDALE - Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan stopped at the Southern Illinois University School of Law Tuesday afternoon to talk and learn about the school's veterans' assistance program and how Illinois veterans can benefit from it.

The Veterans' Legal Assistance Program offers free legal services to Southern Illinois veterans who need assistance filing disability claims with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Law students provide legal counsel and case advancement services on a volunteer basis.

Madigan met with Assistant Dean John Lynn, director of the program, as well as a handful of law students who are involved with the program at SIUC's Kaplan Hall.

"It's an incredible and necessary resource," Madigan said. "This is such a perfect example of exactly why it is you probably went to law school in the first place and you all should be given an immense amount of credit for doing this."

Madigan talked with the group for about thirty minutes before paying a visit to the school's Lesar Law Building and making a guest appearance at the Southern Illinois Symphony Orchestra's performance at Shryock Auditorium.

thomas.barker@thesouthern.com

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