Chris Brogan is a committed CVLC pro bono attorney. “I’ve had family members in the military, my father, my brother, my son, and I just like the mission. I admire the commitment military people made to the country and feel that the least we can do is give veterans back what we promised we would give them when they went into the military.” As an attorney at Sikorsky, Chris learned about CVLC’s work and after he retired he began to take cases. His first case for CVLC was on behalf of an elderly veteran living with a mental health condition who had applied for VA benefits without an advocate and been repeatedly turned down. CVLC was helping the veteran with a number of issues, and Chris was able to examine the veteran’s medical records and find evidence that the condition developed within a year of his service. As a result, the veteran was finally approved for benefits from the VA and received a significant lump sum payment. “I look at this as simply helping give people what they deserve,” says Chris. “I felt good for [the veteran] because I know it meant something to him. I don’t look at this as getting something special – he didn’t win the lottery or anything. He is getting what he deserves. I’m glad for him and happy that CVLC can do that.”

Now, as a retired attorney, along with his work for a local boys and girls club and tutoring in schools, Chris enjoys that volunteering for CVLC enables him to continue to do legal work. “It’s a nice way to keep my fingers in the law without a lot of the pressures that typically come with practicing,” says Chris, and he finds the work rewarding, fun, and easy. “When you can find something where you are doing it for a good reason, where the people you are dealing with are nice and knowledgeable, and you can do it at your own pace – that’s a pretty good deal. It works all around.”