Veterans Legal Justice
Founding Members
Larry Vogelman
Larry A. Vogelman brings over 45 years of experience to Veterans Legal Justice. Larry has tried hundreds of cases to verdict and handled dozens of appeals in state and federal courts. As a trained and experienced mediator, Larry also mediates civil controversies in both state and federal courts. Larry is a frequent lecturer in the areas of civil rights litigation and professional ethics, as well as virtually every area of criminal defense. While President of the New Hampshire Bar Association, Larry started to focus on providing legal assistance to veterans. The result has been the birth of the Veterans Law Project and the subsequent founding of Veterans Legal Justice. The only Fellow of the American Board of Criminal Defense Lawyers in New Hampshire, Larry was also on the Board of Directors of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers for six years. He is a member of the American Association for Justice, the New Hampshire Association for Justice, and the New Hampshire Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. Larry lives in Durham. He has three sons. When not trying to change the world “one case at a time,” Larry is a basketball referee and avid—albeit fair to middling—tennis player.
Marcia Levy
Marcia Levy is Associate Professor and Director of Legal Residency at the University of New Hampshire Law School. Marcia was the Executive Director of Volunteers of Legal Service (VOLS), by partnering with over 200 community groups and over 60 law firms and company pro bono. Previously, she was the Executive Director of Pro Bono Partnership. Marcia’s legal career includes experience as a practicing attorney, professor, clinical director, public interest program director, pro bono counsel, professional development administrator, trial advocacy trainer and program director for the National Institute of Trial Advocacy (NITA) and international trainer for organizations such as ABA ROLI and the CEELI Institute. Marcia has served as an assistant federal defender for the Federal Defender's Office in the Eastern District of New York, and a staff attorney with the Legal Aid Society Prisoners' Rights Project. Marcia has developed, directed, and taught in advocacy training programs, working with organizations such as the National Institute for Trial Advocacy (NITA), and internationally with ABA-ROLI, USRF, PILnet, and the CEELI Institute and others in Egypt, Jordan, Russia, China and countries in Central and Eastern Europe.
Shane Cooper
Shane Cooper is a retired Navy Captain who served in the Navy for 26 years as a submarine officer and Navy judge advocate before retiring in 2021. He qualified as a submarine warfare and nuclear engineer officer aboard the USS Connecticut (SSN 22) where he served from 1996 to 2000. As a judge advocate, he served in a variety of roles including as a prosecutor, Special Assistant to the United States Attorney, Rule of Law Advisor in Iraq, and in-house chief counsel to several naval commanders including the Commander of United States Fifth Fleet in Bahrain. In his final active-duty assignment, he served as the Commanding Officer of Naval Justice School responsible for the Navy’s legal education and training program for all Coast Guard, Navy, and Marine Corps judge advocates and paralegals in addition to all Navy and Marine Corps commanders concerning the administration of military law. Currently, Shane is the Associate Dean for Administration and Enrollment at the University of New Hampshire Franklin Pierce School of Law and serves as a co-advisor to the school’s Veterans Law Society. He is also a member of the Town of Newbury Veteran’s Committee and Kearsarge Navy Birthday Committee.
Dakotah Thunder Wilson
Dakotah Thunder Wilson is the son of two retired Navy veterans. Born on Naval Base Rota in Spain and raised in New Hampshire, Dakotah has always been immersed in military culture. Dakotah graduated from Montana State University with a degree in political science and philosophy and currently attends the University of New Hampshire working toward a Masters in Public Policy. Much of Dakotah's professional career has been in healthcare settings, working with retirees, veterans, and individuals with physical and mental disabilities. He often volunteers for non-partisan political and policy organizations, with a strong focus on New Hampshire issues and community building. Inspired by friends made at home and abroad, he has developed an aptitude for world languages, speaking conversationally in his native English, as well as Spanish and Arabic. Dakotah is also the proud future husband of Michaela McDowell, who will soon become an excellent lawyer herself, and the father of Mushu the cat. In his spare time, Dakotah can be seen reading foreign language texts, scouring the web for interesting data sets to practice programming with, or shooting pool at one of the Seacoast's local pubs.
Zack Phillips
Zachary Phillips is a student at the University of New Hampshire working toward a Juris Doctor and Masters in Public Policy with a Certificate in Coastal Policy. Zack is originally from Maine and happy to be back in New England. Zack served in the Air Force as an Electronic Warfare Officer on the AC-130U for just over 10 years. His additional duties included being the Assistant Chief of Squadron Weapons and Tactics, Chief of Squadron Standards and Evaluations, Group Standards and Evaluations, and Chief of Strike Aircraft for Group Standards and Evaluations. Zack also served as the Wing Electronic Warfare Officer. He has been serving in the Air Force Reserves as the Executive Officer for the Maintenance Group at Westover Air Reserve Base for the past two years. Zack previously volunteered with the Veterans Law Project during his first year of law school, which inspired him to join the board of Veterans Legal Justice. He is happily married to his amazing wife, Ashley, and is a new father, welcoming his son Steven in January of 2022. Zack enjoys hiking the mountains and trails of New Hampshire with his dog Zoey, watching his favorite New England sports teams, and spending time with his family.
Jill O'Neill
Jill O’Neill is a mental health professional with over 20 years of experience serving individuals and families seeking recovery services from mental health and substance use disorders. She serves as the Executive Director of the New Hampshire Lawyers Assistance Program, supporting members of New Hampshire's legal community with personal or professional well-being challenges. Her professional highlights include her work as the co-facilitator of the New Hampshire Justice-Involved Veteran Task Force. She assisted in developing the first “Veterans Behavioral Health Track,” which diverts justice-involved veterans with service-related injuries into treatment rather than traditional sentencing. Jill testified on Capitol Hill to share New Hampshire’s model of serving justice-involved veterans. She received the New Hampshire National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Annual Award in 2016 for making a substantial difference in the criminal justice system to better support individuals experiencing mental health disorders.