����ֱ��

��

June 18, 2025—Courtney Culhane ’25 has a longstanding dedication to military service and veteran welfare and fairness. She participated in the Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) while pursuing her undergraduate degree at Cornell University and then served a four-year tour in the United States Marine Corps.

“I had the best military experience that you could ask for. I had a great team. I got to do really incredible things. I wish that could be everyone’s experience,” Culhane reflected.�� “Because I’ve been so fortunate, I feel obligated to pay it forward and help my peers and other veterans who may not be so lucky.”��

After earning a master’s degree in sports management, Culhane decided to attend law school. Initially drawn to ����ֱ�� for its sports law offerings, which would enable her to expand her research on hiring veterans in professional sports, she soon took every advantage of ����ֱ�� Law’s resources related to the military field, including opportunities in veterans law.

Culhane also immersed herself in extracurriculars such as the Moot Court Board, where she argued at the 2024 National Veterans Law Moot Court Competition.��Under the guidance of Adjunct Professor Richard Prebil, she completed her first veterans law-oriented externship with Legal Aid of Southeastern Pennsylvania, where she helped veterans access VA benefits and submit for discharge upgrades. Culhane was also active on veteran law listservs, seeking networking opportunities, advice and job opportunities from professionals around the country.

During Culhane’s 3L year, in partnership with ����ֱ�� Law’s externship program, she was selected for a veterans law practicum with Cornell Law School. The practicum focuses on assisting veterans with accessing VA benefits and healthcare, with a concentration on those individuals with less-than-honorable discharge statuses.

On how she made the most of her time at ����ֱ�� Law, Culhane reflected on the importance of “just asking” for an opportunity. It’s advice that she would offer to incoming and current law students. “Some of the best opportunities I had in school were because I�� asked,” including sending a team to the veterans law competition, which was a first for ����ֱ��. “I asked people whose research I read if they would be willing to talk to me about their work and professional experiences, which led to really interesting conversations and made for future connections.”

Matthew McGovern, director of experiential learning and legal research instructor at ����ֱ�� Law, spoke highly of Culhane’s work ethic. “Courtney’s experience prior to law school is not very common. The practice opportunity she found in New York while continuing her studies here at ����ֱ�� was a great match for her understanding of military service and her dedication to veterans in need. I was gratified to see her take a deep dive into a practice area that challenges and excites her.”

Culhane says ending her law school career with so much experience directly in her field has felt both “full circle” and “like a warm hand-off” into the working world. Her wide array of military and veteran law experience slated her as a first-round choice for a post-graduate opportunity as an Equal Justice Works Fellow in California, which she will begin after sitting for the bar exam. ��Starting this fall, the fellowship will place her with Veterans Legal Institute, where she will lead a project helping Marines argue that their original discharges from the Marine Corps were unjust.

Culhane credits the ����ֱ�� Law faculty as a major contributor in preparing her for the next step in her career. “Every interaction I had, whether it was for help with course material or for advising, I felt like everyone wanted me to succeed, and I think when you are surrounded by people who want you to succeed, it helps drive you to succeed. I will be continuing that attitude as a lawyer so that I may be a similar resource to others.”