The GW Justice Journal

By Victoria Vail

Every student interested in law school has a unique story about why they aspire to be lawyers one day.  Whether we never forgot about Atticus, watched a movie with a lawyer as a hero, have always been that kid who loved the Constitution or have more tangible inspirations, there are many influences that affect ones decision to pursue Law School.  More often than not, lawyers inspire us within our families.  In my case, my uncle has been a source of inspiration in my pursuit of a degree in Law.  He has lived in Alexandria, VA and worked in D.C. as Vice President of the Center for Constitutional Litigation throughout high school.  After taking a college road trip, I finally landed in D.C. where I was told my uncle that I should definitely take a look at The George Washington University.  It was on my list, but after hearing his consent I knew I should take it into deep consideration.  He taught a seminar in Public Interest Lawyering at the GW Law School from July, 1998 – December, 2001. 

              My uncle’s story can be taken back to times when my father recalls him reading books upon books while other kids his age were running around the neighborhood in their New Jersey town.  He had always been a thinker the one of the family who was destined to attend college.  In 1976, he graduated from the University of Chicago.  Three years later, he graduated with a JD from the School of Law at Vanderbilt University.  He was then a Trial Attorney for the National Labor Relations Board where he investigated and litigated unfair labor practice cases and drafted decisions.  He then worked his way up at Legal Services of Upper East Tennessee and eventually became a Litigation Director there.  From October 1984 until April 1988, he worked at the Center for Defense of Human Rights in Budapest, Hungary.  He was later a Staff Attorney at the Center for Law and Education where he dealt regularly with the United States Congress, the Department of Education, and the White House.  He also worked to restructure high schools in order to improve student learning. Then he was the Senior Counsel and Associate Director for Constitutional Litigation for the Association of Trial Lawyers of America where he focused on the right of access to courts and the right to trial by jury. 

            After representing victims of terrorism with Fay & Kaplan from 2002 until October 2013, he has decided to create his own firm named John Vail Law.  He plans to continue working with Fay & Kaplan to continue securing justice for service members and their survivors who were victims of terrorist bombings at Khobar Towers and a Berlin discotechque. He has remained passionate throughout his entire law career and has created bonds with numerous organizations promoting the rights of the citizen under law.  I admire his representation of low-income families when he worked as lawyer in Tennessee and around the rest of the country.  He has also argued nearly twenty cases at the Supreme Court level.  His interest in Europe and desire to expand his business there is also something that appeals to me.  When I continue to pursue my dreams of becoming a lawyer one day, I am proud to say that I have John Vail as my uncle to look up to.

Works Cited:

"John’s Resume." John Vail Law PLLC. http://johnvaillaw.com/johns-resume/ (accessed November 11, 2013).