Eugene O’Loughlin, with Mizzou Law Veterans Clinic, will receive this year’s Liberty Bell Award, presented by The Missouri Bar Young Lawyers’ Section.
The Liberty Bell Award acknowledges a non-lawyer or non-legal organization engaged in public service activities that enhance the legal community or are dedicated to the advancement of justice.
O’Loughlin is the veteran advocacy coordinator at the Mizzou Law Veterans Clinic, which helps veterans with discharge upgrades and VA disability compensation appeals at the agency level and in federal appellate courts. The clinic also participates in high-level amicus brief writing, rural and homeless veteran outreach and assistance, and training and education of practicing lawyers.
O’Loughlin counsels several hundred veterans each year, guiding them through complex processes to secure VA disability compensation and discharge upgrades. He goes above and beyond his role by seeking answers regarding issues the clinic does not focus on.
O’Loughlin shared a story of a client who first approached Mizzou Law Veterans Clinic for assistance after experiencing debilitating anxiety and depression as a result of traumatic experiences he witnessed while serving in the military. O’Loughlin became this veteran’s primary contact at the clinic and has since seen an improvement in the client’s quality of life and an increase in the client’s service-connected disability rates.
“He has thanked me more than once for taking the time to listen, and it gives me great satisfaction to know that I was a part of this transformative change in all aspects of his life,” O’Loughlin said. “This type of story is one I am privileged to be part of on a daily basis at the Mizzou Law Veterans Clinic.”
Prior to working at the Mizzou Law Veterans Clinic, O’Loughlin was an accredited veterans service officer with the Missouri Veterans Commission. He served in the U.S. Army as a cavalry scout from 1985-1988 and then as a heavy equipment operator from 1988-1993.
O’Loughlin will receive his award in St. Louis during the Annual Meeting of The Missouri Bar and Judicial Conference, July 18-20.
Click here to learn more about annual awards presented by The Missouri Bar, the Missouri Bar Foundation, and other entities. Read about other 2024 award winners here.