Navy veteran-turned lawyer takes on VA policy that denies education benefits (Schamel '10)

Luke Schamel became an officer in the U.S. Navy to serve his country. Now a Houston associate at Yetter Coleman, he is continuing his public service in a different uniform. 

Schamel is representing the Veterans of Foreign Wars on a pro bono basis in a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs that challenges a rule that petitioners say denies veterans the full education benefits that they have earned. 

Following graduation from the academy, Schamel was stationed to the Naval Nuclear Power Training Command on Joint Base Charleston. But a reduction in force soon after his commissioning prompted him to explore other career paths. He went into management consulting in Washington, D.C., before ultimately deciding to return to school.