Becoming a Judge on the CAVC: A Discussion on the Judicial Nominations Process and Settling in at the Court
October 29, 2026
Panelists
Senior Judge William P. Greene, Jr., CAVC
Senior Judge William A. Moorman, CAVC
Faye Fernandes, General Counsel (D), Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee
Jon VanderPlas, General Counsel (R), Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee
Moderator
Chief Judge Michael P. Allen, CAVC
Contradictum: How a Foundational Proposition of Veterans Law is Rooted in the American Revolution, and Why It’s Wrong
Presented by:
Ty Collier, Attorney and PhD Student at George Washington University
Note: The presentation introduction and the first few seconds of audio from the presentation were unfortunately not captured in the recording.
October 22, 2025
On June 30, 2023, the CAVC Historical Society and CAVC Bar Association hosted a panel discussion regarding the evolution of appellate representation before the CAVC.
With the creation of the Court in 1988, veterans and their families had the right of judicial review of their VA appeals for the first time. There was, however, a lack of sufficient qualified counsel to represent these constituents, creating unique problems for the Court and VA. The panel discussed the various ways the Court, and the broader veterans law community, have tried to ensure that interested pro se litigants have representation before the Court. Topics for discussion included the effect of unrepresented litigants on practice before the Court, the rise of the Veterans Consortium, and the evolution of the appellants’ bar.
Panelists
Judge Mary Schoelen, U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims
Linda Blauhut, Paralyzed Veterans of America
Mary Flynn, Office of General Counsel, Department of Veterans Affairs
Ronald Smith, Esq.
Andrew Reynolds, Central Legal Staff, U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims
Moderator
David Ames, Bergmann and Moore, LLC
