Holly L. Christian
Holly L.听Christian
Director, Veterans Law Clinic
Assistant Professor of Law
Degrees
- J.D. DePaul College of Law '16
- B.A. University of Dayton '13
Biography
Holly Christian joined Detroit Mercy Law in 2021 as the first Toni A. Wisne Foundation Veterans Clinic Fellow. She was promoted to Director of the Veterans Law Clinic and Assistant Professor of Law in 2022. She is currently VA accredited, and barred in Illinois and Michigan.
Holly has provided legal services to individuals and children with disabilities in contested special education and adult guardianship matters. She has also represented low income and homeless veterans as well as provided pro bono program management, volunteer recruitment, and training while employed at the ABA and Swords to Plowshares. She has presented research, organized community legal clinics, conducted know your rights presentations, and spoken at CLE events related to her practice areas.
Holly enjoys spending time with her cat, attending dance classes, and coaching mock trial teams.
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Courses Taught
Advanced Veterans Law Clinic
Children in the Law Seminar
Veterans Law Clinic
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Selected Publications
The Scarlet Letter Plaguing Black Veterans: Racial Disparity and the Pursuit of Restorative Justice for Veterans with 'Bad Paper' Military Discharges ___ UCLA L. REV. DISCOURSE __ (forthcoming 2026)
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Selected Presentations
National Law School Veterans Clinic Consortium Bootcamp, Fall 2025, VA Service Connection Basics
American Association of Law Schools Clinical Conference, Spring 2025, Intergroup Dialogue Faculty Training; A Case Study
Detroit Mercy Law Review Symposium, Spring 2025, Advocating for Veterans Across Broken Systems
Detroit Bar Associate Pro Bono Webinar, Spring 2025, Veterans Law Clinic Pro Bono Work
University of St. Thomas Law Journal's Veterans Law Symposium, Fall 2023, Invisible Injuries and Restorative Justice for Returning Vets
BEAM Inc., ADA Anniversary Panel, Summer 2022, History of the Americans with Disabilities Act
Legal Help for Vets Training, Summer 2022, Military Discharge Upgrades and VA Character of Discharge Determinations
National Law School Veterans Clinic Consortium Bootcamp, Fall 2021, Reviewing and Summarizing Veteran’s Records
Practising Law Institute Annual Veterans Law CLE Training, Fall 2020, Veteran Cultural Competency: Combat to Community; Demographics, Cultural Characteristics, Myths and Stereotypes about Veterans; Legal Interviewing Tips
Practising Law Institute, Pursuing Justice: The Pro Bono Files Podcast, Fall 2020, Bad Paper
Legal Services Corporation Veterans Task Force Field Hearing, Fall 2020, Pro Bono Engagement Strategies
Practising Law Institute, A Guide to Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) for Advocates: How to Effectively Address PTSD in Matters Involving Veterans and Others Affected by Trauma, Summer 2020, Working with Clients and Developing Relevant Information about PTSD
American Bar Association Equal Justice Conference, Spring 2018, VetLex - An Innovation for Connecting Veterans to Lawyers