William & Mary Law School Welcomes Military Veterans and Active-Duty Service Members to the Class of 2026
Welcoming Student Veterans William & Mary Law Dean A. Benjamin Spencer, a Major in the U.S. Army Reserve, provided welcoming remarks at the orientation for military veterans in the incoming Class of 2026. Photo by David F. Morrill
William & Mary Law School held a briefing for military veterans and active-duty service members of the Class of 2026 during Law Week orientation activities prior to the beginning of their formal legal education on August 21.
Comprised of veterans and members of the United States Army, Marine Corps, and Navy, this unique group of students brings a wide variety of experiences, skills, and talents to the Law School.
Dean A. Benjamin Spencer, a Major in the U.S. Army Reserve, provided welcoming remarks, after which the students were briefed about specific offices, resources, and key players that focus on veterans and military issues at William & Mary. Briefing the students were Brian Wall, Associate Dean for Student Affairs & Academic Support at the Law School; Issa DeSciullo, Associate Dean for J.D. Admissions and Financial Aid at the Law School; Jonathan “JD” Due, Executive Director of the Center for Military Transition at the Mason School of Business; and Charlie Foster, Director of the Office of Student Veteran Engagement.
Insight on aspects of the law school experience with special relevance to veterans and active-duty service members were addressed by Will Reach ’23, U.S. Army veteran and recent William & Mary Law School graduate; Dana Call ’24, USAF active duty and President of the Military and Veterans Law Society; and Maggie Reach ’23, a graduate of both the Army War College and William & Mary Law with experience as an Army spouse.
Rounding out the information session was Professor Fredric Lederer, a retired US Army Reserve Colonel and Director of the Center for Legal and Court Technology at William & Mary. Lederer, who also serves as the Faculty Advisor to the Military and Veterans Law Society and Funded Legal Education Program participants, shared his thoughts on the opportunities and challenges veterans and active-duty service members attending law school may encounter.
The briefing was conducted under the auspices of the Law School’s newly established Office of Military and Veteran Affairs.
About William & Mary Law School
Thomas Jefferson founded William & Mary Law School in 1779 to train leaders for the new nation. Now in its third century, America’s first law school continues its historic mission of educating citizen lawyers who are prepared both to lead and to serve.