Our Lawyers

Mark Lippman

President/Founder

Mr. Lippman has practiced VA disability since 1996, representing disabled Veterans and their dependents before every regional office throughout the country, before the Board of Veterans’ Appeal, before the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claim, before the Federal Circuit Court of Appeals, and even before the United States Supreme Court. With the support of his excellent staff at the Veterans Law Group, he has won millions of dollars of benefits for his clients.   Mr. Lippman has successfully represented disabled Veterans in every type of disability claim, including psychiatric, orthopedic, neurological, and toxic exposure claims.

Laura Anderson

Attorney

Laura Anderson is a VA-accredited attorney who represents veterans in all phases of their disability appeals. She leads hearings before the Board of Veterans’ Appeals (BVA) in Washington D.C., and with Decision Review Officers (DRO) at the Regional Office, and she is admitted to practice before the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims. She has participated in hundreds of veterans’ cases to date and stays on top of the VA’s latest developments through participation in organizations such as the National Organization for Veterans Advocates (NOVA).

Laura graduated from the University of San Diego School of Law in 2013, where, she interned for an Arizona Superior Court Judge. She also worked as a Certified Legal Intern at the University of San Diego Civil Clinic, where she represented clients in court under the supervision of an attorney.  

After graduating from law school, Laura worked as a post-bar law clerk at the university’s legal clinics in the areas of tax and entrepreneurship. This experience helped prepare her to assist veterans in navigating the often-frustrating VA system. Her compassion for veterans, combined with her ability to decipher and explain legal language and processes, make her especially prepared to help you, our client, obtain the benefits you deserve.

Kelsey Kral

Associate Attorney

Kelsey Kral is a military spouse and VA-accredited attorney. She is also admitted to practice before the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims (CAVC) and is a member of the National Organization of Veterans’ Advocates (NOVA).

Kelsey earned her Juris Doctorate, cum laude, from the Florida State University College of Law in 2020, where she served as the President of the Moot Court team and won best brief and second place overall at a national moot court competition. Prior to joining our firm, Kelsey first worked as a judicial law clerk and later gained Veterans law experience, particularly at the CAVC level, at a private firm.

Legal Staff

Violet Roman

Senior Paralegal/U.S. Army Veteran

Violet Roman served as a 92B Medic in the U.S. Army Reserve from 1987-1995 and was deployed to U.A.E. during Operation Desert Storm. She comes from a long line of military and Combat Veterans who collectively span every branch, including her grandfather (WWII), her father, a Seabee in Viet Nam, her brother, who also served in Desert Storm as a Marine, and her nephew, who currently serves in the Air Force. After military service, she earned a Master’s in Health Care Administration with a concentration in education, and has worked professionally in both the health care and legal industries since 1991. Violet is always giving back to her community, be it as leadership at her local VFW, volunteering at community theatre, or spending time overseas on humanitarian missions. In her spare time, she loves to paint, Latin/ballroom dance, and watch baseball. She loves working at VLG and is grateful to work with Veterans every day to take care of their legal needs and give them a voice.

Paula Jahn

Paralegal

Paula Jahn joined the VLG team as a paralegal in 2022.  

As the daughter of a US Army Veteran, Paula understands the physical toll that military service can have on its members and takes pride in ensuring clients obtain the VA benefits they deserve.  

Paula graduated from UC Santa Barbara with degrees in Germanic Studies and Global Studies. She completed the University of San Diego’s paralegal program with honors and obtained a Juris Doctor from Thomas Jefferson School of Law. In 2023, Paula became a VA-accredited attorney. She is an active member of the National Organization of Veterans’ Advocates (NOVA) and regularly attends community events that support the local Veteran community. 

Paula has been assisting Veterans with disability appeals since 2014. In her first role as a researcher, she gathered evidence of herbicide exposure for U.S. Army Veterans stationed in Thailand during the Vietnam War. That experience inspired Paula to pursue a career advocating for Veteran’s disability benefits. In addition to VA disability law, Paula’s background in federal administrative law includes experience in the areas of social security, Medicare, and immigration law.   As a former Department of State Consular Division intern, Paula understands how daunting the process of obtaining benefits from a federal agency can be which is why it is her goal to ensure her clients feel heard and supported during all stages of their case.

Mychell Clements

Paralegal

Mychell Clements has a profound connection to the military owing to her extensive familial background. She is the daughter and sister of Army Veterans and married to a Purple Heart Veteran who served in the Marine Corps. In addition, various other members of her family have also served in the military.

As a result of this experience, Mychell Clements possesses a unique perspective and deep appreciation for the sacrifices made by service members. These experiences have undoubtedly shaped her gratitude for military service and the associated challenges, including those faced by military spouses and their families.

Before joining our firm, Mychell served as a Veteran Case Manager at another law firm and on base, where she assisted Veterans and their families by providing several resources. She is certified by TRIP and VA, possessing experience in claims handling and responsibilities to assist attorneys with the needs of Veterans and their families.

Mychell earned her degree in legal studies and victim advocacy pre-law from Ohio University. She is also certified as an advanced paralegal, specializing in medical records and discoveries. Mychell is passionate about her work at our firm, as she recognizes that her efforts contribute directly to the successful connection of Veterans to services.

Laura Williams

Paralegal

Laura Williams joined the VLG team in 2022.  Her current roll is paralegal. She has over 20 years of experience in the legal field in various roles. She received her Paralegal Certificate from the University of San Diego in 2016. Laura loves the law, and it gives her great satisfaction assisting and advocating for Veterans on a daily basis.

Karen Tackett

Marketing Manager

Karen has been working in Veterans Law Group Intake Section for four years, and has risen to running the marking for VLG. Karen has extensive family who have served. Karen’s maternal grandfather fought in the Battle of the Bulge and was a POW in WWII. Karen is also married to a Veteran and has first-hand experience as a wife seeing the laborious process her husband went through to get his VA claims submitted and processed. She saw it from time of him leaving the service until the claim was adjudicated. She understands the stress and strain of waiting for the opinions. This coupled with the guidance provided by VLG’s highly experienced attorneys, gives Karen a keen sense of what is needed for the VLG Team have success for the Veteran.

Michael Tackett

Intake Coordinator/Retired U.S. Army CW3

Mike is our Intake Coordinator who has the great pleasure of speaking to Veterans as to their lack of support from the VA. Mike is a 30-year military retiree with the U.S. Army retiring at the rank of Chief Warrant Officer Three. He himself has had to deal with the Department of Veterans Affairs claims process and knows the frustrations Veterans go through in their claims. With guidance from VLG’s excellent attorney’s, in addition to Mike’s experience, knowledge, and management skills that he brings to the job helps him run the Veterans Law Group’s Intake Department.

Catherine Sparling

Law Clerk

Catherine is a driven legal professional with roots tracing back to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, before relocating to San Diego to attend law school and launch her legal career. She is determined to supporting veterans in the pursuit of their entitlement to benefits and ensuring their legal due process. Beyond fighting the VA, Catherine’s heart remains tied to her large family and friends, and enjoys exploring all that San Diego County has to offer.

Kristina Derobertis

Admin

Kris Derobertis has been a part of the VLG team for over 7 years. Her duties include Administrative Assistant and Office Manager. She loved her time volunteering with Pin-ups for Vets.  Before joining the group, she was a stay-at-home mom of three wonderful children for 25 years. Her ex-husband served faithfully and proudly in the United States Marine Corps for 28 years. She loves coming from a military family and background.
She comes from a long line of Veterans, to include a great-grandfather, grandfathers, father, uncles, and cousins. She has a special place in her heart for Veterans and all that they do and the sacrifices they and their families make daily.  She honors them by helping to fight for their rights and what they deserve by using her passion and skills at VLG. 
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