NSU Law Names Jayme Cassidy as First Staff Attorney for South Florida’s Only Veterans Law Clinic

Jayme Cassidy, J.D., NSU Veterans Law Clinic staff attorney

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Nova Southeastern University’s (NSU) Shepard Broad Law Center announced the appointment of Jayme Cassidy, J.D., as staff attorney of the university’s in-house Veterans Law Clinic, the only one of its kind in South Florida. This summer, Cassidy will be offering a series of workshops to address some of the most pressing legal needs that our veterans face. In the fall, the Veterans Clinic in conjunction with NSU Law’s Children and Families Clinic, will begin case consultation and representation in limited areas of family law. Advocacy on behalf of veterans will expand to include various civil law areas in 2014.

Cassidy most recently worked as the supervising attorney for EACH (Economic Advocacy and Community Health) and for Coast to Coast Legal Aid of South Florida, Inc., where she developed VALOR (Veteran Advocates Legal Outreach & Representation), a medical legal partnership with the Department of Veteran Affairs.

As a practicing attorney for 19 years, Cassidy brings to the NSU Law Center broad experience in complex civil and criminal litigation, and a solid background in state and federal practice.  Previously, she served as Chief Assistant for the Broward County Public Defender, and as an Assistant Attorney General.

Cassidy received her B.S. from Seton Hall University and her J.D. from Seton Hall University School of Law where she was a member of the Legislative Law Journal. She is a former Litigation Counsel for Carnival Cruise Lines, and practiced law in New York and New Jersey with Garberini & Scher and Bower & Gardner.

Military veterans are more at risk of homelessness, unemployment, matrimonial and health issues, which often give rise to legal and other issues. A survey of non-profit legal organizations in the region revealed that very few organizations are currently helping our nation’s veterans with legal matters of any kind. Opening a clinic dedicated to these matters is a unique opportunity that will enable NSU faculty and students to give back to our nation’s veterans and community.

With more than 100,000 active duty military personnel in South Florida and over 1.6 million veterans in Florida – 280,000 of those veterans in South Florida – NSU faculty and administrators recognized that a large number of people are not currently being adequately served in their legal matters. The NSU Law Center Veterans Clinic will assist veterans with cases that will have the greatest impact on the stability and success of its clients, such as landlord-tenant cases, consumer matters, domestic relations and state/federal misdemeanors, among others.

For more information on the Veterans Law Clinic, contact Jayme Cassidy at (954) 262-6184 or jcassidy1@nova.edu, or visit: http://www.nsulaw.nova.edu/spotlights/veteranclinic.cfm

For more information about NSU Law, visit: www.nova.edu/law

About the Shepard Broad Law Center
Nova Southeastern University’s Law Center offers a rigorous traditional academic program in three-year day and four-year evening versions. NSU Law prides itself on preparing graduates to make a smooth transition from the classroom to the courtroom or boardroom. Lawyering Skills and Values (LSV)-Every student completes a four-semester LSV sequence that combines traditional legal reasoning, writing, and research with an introduction to lawyer interviewing, counseling, negotiating, mediating, advocating, and other critical skills in a simulated law firm experience.

About Nova Southeastern University
Situated on 300 beautiful acres in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, Nova Southeastern University (NSU) is a dynamic fully accredited research institution dedicated to providing high-quality educational programs at all levels.  NSU is a not-for-profit independent institution with more than 28,000 students. NSU awards associate’s, bachelor’s, master’s, specialist, doctoral and first-professional degrees in a wide range of fields. NSU is classified as a research university with “high research activity” by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, and it’s one of only 37 universities nationwide to also be awarded Carnegie’s Community Engagement Classification.  www.nova.edu

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Media Contact:
Brandon Hensler, APR, NSU Office of Public Affairs
office (954) 262-5385, cell (954) 393-5926, or e-mail: brandon.hensler@nova.edu