Antionette Balta (’06)After working in civil litigation for five years, alumna Antoinette Balta (J.D, LL.M) left private practice and followed her dream of working in the public interest field. She became an Equal Justice Works AmeriCorps Legal Fellow and began working at the Public Law Center (PLC) in 2011. In April 2013, Antoinette was assigned to lead PLC’s veterans project, Operation Veterans Re-Entry, a new program dedicated to providing Orange County veterans and their families with free legal assistance to facilitate their re-entry into civilian life.

“It makes me feel like both an attorney and a patriot. It’s win-win,” says Balta.

Upon returning home, war veterans often find themselves faced with unique legal circumstances. But thanks to Antoinette and PLC, more than 140,000 veterans and their families living in Orange County now have access to free legal services.

The program commemorates Orange County native Captain Matthew Patrick Manoukian, United States Marine Corps, 1st Marine Special Operations Battalion, who planned to attend law school and become a public defender before he was killed in action on August 10, 2012 in Afghanistan. Captain Manoukian had helped open schools, start local police forces, and initiate the judicial system while deployed in Iraq; he also helped open schools and courts, as well as stabilize villages, while in Afghanistan. The program aims to honor his memory by providing legal services to the veterans Captain Manoukian would have undoubtedly assisted after returning from Afghanistan.

Operation Veterans Re-Entry focuses not only on making the re-entry process easier for veterans, but also provides help with a vast array of legal problems. PLC employees and volunteers counsel veterans on issues ranging from family law, landlord-tenant disputes, consumer fraud, military and veterans benefits, healthcare, expungement of criminal records, discharge upgrades, child support, military sexual trauma, guardianships and conservatorships. Additionally, Operation Veterans Re-Entry works with a wide variety of veterans groups including the Orange County Department of Veterans Services, Working Wardrobes, Veterans First, and Disabled Veterans of America.

“Operation Veterans Re-Entry is dedicated to the empowerment of Veterans via pro bono civil legal services by contributing to a smoother transition into civilian life,” mentions Balta. “Through four mobile legal clinics per month, in-house appointments and phone interviews, we are able to conduct comprehensive outreach to veterans and, with the aid of several nonprofits and veteran-focused organizations, provide holistic care.”

“Working with veterans is incredibly rewarding.  Serving such a worthy and heroic population allows me to use my degree for the greater good,” says Balta.