Samford University’s Cumberland School of Law announced Wednesday that it is creating a clinic that will provide free legal assistance to American military veterans in the area around Birmingham.

The clinic, named C-VETS, is now accepting applications for help with legal matters. The legal work will be done by both practicing attorneys and law students at Cumberland.

C-VETS is the brainchild of and will be led by former Judge John Carroll, current professor and former dean of the law school.

“A core value of Cumberland School of Law and of the legal profession is service to others,” Carroll said in a release.
The clinic will be the first of its kind in Alabama.

“C-VETS provides a unique way for our students to truly answer the call to serve by providing free legal assistance to veterans and their families,” Carroll continued.

Carroll served as a member of the United States Marine Corps during the Vietnam War and is active in veterans affairs issues that arise in the Birmingham area.

The services are being offered by C-VETS are available to former service members in Bibb, Blount, Chilton, Cullman, Etowah, Jefferson, Shelby and Walker counties.

Cumberland says the clinic will offer help with “a wide variety of civil matters including consumer debt, landlord-tenant, contracts, uncontested family law matters and wills.”

According to Samford, the clinic is being made possible by “generous support” from alumnus Stephen Moss, a Vietnam veteran himself who is now a successful real estate attorney in Florida.

Additional support came from The Veterans Consortium Pro Bono Program, a charity that helps fund legal services for veterans.

“Veterans and their families have given so much to our country and the creation of C-VETS allows our students and attorneys to give something back to them,” Carroll concluded.

Henry Thornton is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can contact him by email: henry@new-yhn.local or on Twitter @HenryThornton95