Our experience spans decades, and every major veterans’ law practice area.

We have been representing veterans and their loved ones in VA proceedings since 1983. We help to secure disability compensation; dependency and indemnity compensation (“DIC”); pension; Caregiver Program benefits; and more.

Our attorneys do not just practice, they lead.

We handle more high-impact veterans’ law appeals than any other law firm. Our attorneys have won groundbreaking, precedential victories before the U.S. Supreme Court, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims.

Team approach.

Our approach to serving veterans and their loved ones is a team based model, in which our attorneys, paralegals, legal assistants, and additional staff members all contribute their unique perspectives to help maximize our clients’ recoveries.

We help clients through all parts of their claim, from the ground up.

We are among the very few veterans’ law firms that assists clients as early in the claim process as they will have us, through appeals as high as they need to go, until the client has recovered all VA benefits to which the law entitles them. This full service representation enables us from day one to align all actions toward a holistic strategic plan.

We are a private, public-interest law firm.

Our principal mission is to help veterans and their loved ones. We constantly strive for legal reform to benefit not only our specific clients but also the entire community(-ies) to which they belong.

We assist worldwide.

Representing U.S. military veterans and their dependents and survivors before VA and its overseeing courts no matter where our clients live.

Meet Our Team

Kenneth M. Carpenter

Managing shareholder and firm founder Kenneth M. Carpenter is one of the deans of veterans’ advocacy. Ken has been representing veterans since 1983 and has done more to reshape the law for our veterans than perhaps any other practitioner. He has won dozens of landmark, precedential victories; and he has helped thousands more clients to recover their VA benefits. Ken practices in all levels of VA claim proceedings, up to and including before the U.S. Supreme Court.

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Kenneth H. Dojaquez

Kenneth H. Dojaquez is a shareholder and attorney dedicated to representing service members and veterans. A retired U.S. Army Major, Kenny led soldiers around the world, including during combat operations in Baghdad, Iraq. Using these experiences, he approaches his practice as a team endeavor, coordinating with veterans and their families to achieve their goals. Kenny practices at all levels of agency and court proceedings.

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John D. Niles

John D. Niles is a shareholder and attorney who devotes much of his practice to veterans’ impact litigation, including class actions. Creative and attentive to detail, he pursues systemic pro-veteran legal reform while helping clients with all kinds of VA disability-compensation issues and in all levels of agency and court proceedings.

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Sara N. Huerter

Sara N. Huerter champions each client’s unique story. She focuses on assisting clients in proceedings before the Department of Veterans Affairs, to which she brings a listen-first, personalizing approach and nearly 20 years of experience in securing every VA benefit to which the client is entitled.

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Emily Salomone

Emily I. Salomone is an attorney dedicated to representing veterans, their survivors, and their dependents. She practices before the Department of Veterans Affairs and the federal courts that review its decisions.

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Glenda S. Herl

Glenda S. Herl serves as Carpenter Chartered’s Chief Operating Officer. She is a non-attorney practitioner admitted to practice before the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims (“CAVC”), and she long has been a leader among veterans’ advocates. In addition to managing many of our law firm’s day-to-day operations, Glenda served as President of the National Organization of Veterans’ Advocates (NOVA) from 2015 through 2022. She continues to serve the organization participating on the Board as Past President. Glenda also served as a member of CAVC’s Judicial Advisory Committee.

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Katy Clemens

Katy S. Clemens has been practicing veterans’ law since 2006. She has represented hundreds of clients before the agency and its overseeing courts, taught and mentored dozens of attorneys, and edited the premier textbook on veterans’ law, the Veterans Benefits Manual. She currently focuses on impact litigation in order to bring far-reaching, pro-claimant changes to the world of VA benefits.

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Shannon Holstein

Shannon has represented and championed service members and veterans since 1996. As a former USAF Judge Advocate lieutenant colonel and proud USAF “brat,” she has spent most of her life in the company of service members and veterans. Holding true to the USAF core values–Integrity First, Service Before Self, and Excellence In All We Do–she fights for veterans, survivors, and dependents to receive all VA benefits to which the law entitles them.

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Legal Disclaimer
Carpenter Chartered has prepared the materials on this website for informational purposes only. We neither promise nor guarantee that they are correct or up-to-date. We do not intend this website to be advertising, but in some jurisdictions it might be considered as such.

Please do not construe any information on our website as legal advice. We do not intend it as such. Also, nothing on this website creates an attorney-client relationship. This includes that no transmission of information through this website, and no receipt of information through this website, constitutes or creates an attorney-client relationship.

In this website, we refer to or describe legal matters and representations. Please do not consider our references to or descriptions of any legal matters or representations any sort of guarantee, warranty, or prediction regarding the outcome of any other legal matter or representation. We do not intend any, regardless of any similarities that there might be. Past results simply are not a reliable predictor of the outcome of any particular matter or representation. Every matter and representation is different. Every matter and representation must be evaluated separately, and the outcome of each depends on a variety of unique factors. In addition, the matters and representations that we list on this website are for illustrative purposes only. They do not reflect or represent all of the matters and representations that Carpenter Chartered or our attorneys and staff handle or have handled.

By contacting Carpenter Chartered through this website, you confirm that you understand this notice.

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Privacy Policy
We strive to protect the privacy of our website’s visitors. This policy explains how Carpenter Chartered (“Carpenter Chartered” or “we”) collect and use information about you that you provide to us through our website. We may vary this policy from time to time, so please check it regularly. We will provide notice of any significant changes by identifying them on our website’s home page.

Our website contains one or more pages that invite you to submit information about yourself, to include your contact information. Each page on which we invite you to submit such information identifies our purpose(s) in doing so. Principally, we collect information about site visitors to help us to respond knowledgeably to requests for evaluations. We will use any information that you provide to us through our website solely for the purpose(s) that we describe on our website. We will not disclose it outside of Carpenter Chartered employees and contractors, except when you agree or where we legally must do so.

We take commercially reasonable steps to store all information that we receive through our website and to protect it against unauthorized access, improper use or disclosure, unauthorized modification, or unlawful destruction or accidental loss. Even so, please understand that new threats to data security constantly arise. We cannot guarantee its safety. If you provide any information to us through our website, you do so at your own risk. We encourage all site visitors to avoid unnecessarily transmitting personally identifying or other sensitive information through this website. We identify on our website what information we require for purposes such as evaluations and what information is optional to provide.

If you have any questions about our privacy policy, would like to exercise your right to see a copy of the information that we hold about you, believe that information we hold about you may need to be corrected, would like for us to delete all or any part of it, or object to us processing information that you provide to us through our website, please email us at website@carpenterchartered.com and use an email subject line of “Website Privacy Policy.”

We do not sell any information that we receive through our website.

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Kenneth Carpenter

Mr. Carpenter received a B.A. in History Political Science and B.A. in Philosophy Religion,
Southwestern College, Winfield, Kansas in 1970. He received a J.D. from Washburn University, Law School, Topeka, Kansas in 1972; Masters in Adult & Community Counseling from Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas in March 1983. Mr. Carpenter has been engaged in the private practice of law in Topeka, Kansas since 1973. Admitted to the following courts: Kansas Supreme Court, 1973; Federal District Court for the District of Kansas, 1973; 10th Circuit Court of Appeals, 1984; U. S. Court of Federal Claims, 1987; Federal Circuit Court of Appeals, 1989; Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, 1990; United States Supreme Court, 1990. The practice of Veterans Law is the exclusive area of practice by Carpenter, Chartered. He is a founding member of the National Organization of Veterans Advocates.

Mr. Carpenter is the President of Carpenter Chartered, a professional legal corporation. Carpenter Chartered began doing pro bono representation of disabled veterans in 1983. The primary focus of the firm’s representation is with the psychiatrically disabled veteran, predominantly veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder. The firm also specializes in cases involving total disability ratings and earlier effective dates. The firm also does requests for revisions based on allegations of clear and unmistakable error and survivor claims for dependents of veterans.

Kenneth H. Dojaquez

Kenny received a B.S. in Geography from United States Military Academy at West Point. Upon graduation, he served in the U.S. Army as an Armor and Cavalry Officer with service in around the world, to include two combat deployments to Iraq. After service, Kenny received a J.D. from University of South Carolina School of Law in 2011. Kenny has been engaged in the private practice of law in Columbia, South Carolina representing veterans and their family members since 2011.

He is admitted to the practice in the South Carolina Supreme Court; the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims; the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit; and the U.S. Supreme Court.

Mr. Dojaquez has served on the Military and Veterans Law Committee of the South Carolina Bar since 2011, and has been an active member of that state’s bar. He has devoted his time and energy to ensuring veterans in South Carolina receive access to legal services before the VA as well as in state courts. Kenny was instrumental in advocating for the creation of the Veterans Law Clinic at the University of South Carolina School of Law, and had served as an adjunct instructor from its creation in 2018 until 2021. He has served as the Interim Director of the clinic.

Kenny speaks regularly at the state and national level on Veterans Disability issues and is a frequent presenter for the South Carolina Bar and National Organization of Veterans’ Advocates (NOVA).

John D. Niles

John D. Niles is a shareholder of Carpenter Chartered. He represents veterans, their survivors and dependents, and veterans’ advocacy groups before the Department of
Veterans Affairs, U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, and U.S. Supreme Court. John devotes much of his practice to impact litigation, including veterans’ class actions.

John graduated in 2008 from the Duke University School of Law, where he served as Managing Editor of the Duke Law Journal. He also holds a Master of Arts degree in economics from Duke University Graduate School.

John clerked for Hon. E. Grady Jolly of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and then worked in private insurance practice, representing policyholders, while transitioning to full-time veterans’ law practice. John served as Special Counsel to the National Veterans Legal Services Program before joining Carpenter Chartered.

John currently practices remotely out of northern Virginia, where he resides with his family.

Sara N. Huerter

Sara has been representing veterans and their dependents since 2004 when she joined the firm. Sara works on claims and appeals before the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Board of Veterans’ Appeals. Sara’s focus is on identifying, assessing, and developing claims for service connection and increased ratings at the agency level. Sara enjoys getting to know her clients and being able to help them get the benefits to which they are entitled.

Sara graduated magna cum laude from Washburn University School of Law in 2004, and holds a B.A. in Environmental Studies from the University of Kansas. Sara is a member of the National Organization of Veterans Advocates (NOVA) and has served on the ethics committee and the social committee. She has also presented on issues of Veteran’s law on several occasions for NOVA and for the Kansas National Guard. Sara is also a Board Member for VetLinks.org, a nonprofit focusing on providing financial support to combat veterans and their care givers.

Sara enjoys crosswords, swimming, and spending time with her friends and family. She also enjoys volunteering her time to assist with programs involving students and cheering on her Kansas City Chiefs and KU Jayhawks.

Emily Salomone

Emily is an attorney at Carpenter Chartered. She represents veterans, their survivors, and their dependents before the Department of Veterans Affairs and the federal courts that review its decisions. Emily is admitted to practice before the United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, and the Supreme Court of Illinois.

Emily received her J.D., magna cum laude, from Chicago-Kent College of Law in 2022. At Chicago-Kent College of Law, Emily was a member of the Trial Advocacy team, the Women in Law Society, and the First-Generation Law Student Association. She also graduated with a B.A. in Entrepreneurship and Small Business Management, summa cum laude, from North Central College, in 2018.

Emily worked in Commercial Litigation before dedicating her career to veterans’ law. Emily currently practices remotely out of Chicago, Illinois.

Glenda S. Herl

Glenda is a non-attorney practitioner admitted to practice before the United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims (CAVC). Glenda attended Washburn University in Topeka, Kansas. She serves as Carpenter Chartered’s Chief Operating Officer managing the law firm, financial planning, policy making, strategic planning, business development,
organizational development, human resource management, and the general and fiscal management of the firm and its employees. Glenda has extensive experience in the area of veteran’s law. She assists in VA case file analysis, development, presentation of claim issues and has assisted in over 40 oral arguments before the CAVC.

Glenda is active in practice related organizations and devotes time and energy supporting advocate educational opportunities for improving representation of veterans and their families. She is a founding member and served as President of the United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims Bar Association. She is a twenty-five year member of the National Organization of Veterans’ Advocates whose mission is to provide support and organization for the private bar representing veterans in their disability claims against VA. She previously served the organization as Volunteer Executive Director. She is a member of the Board of Directors and currently serves as President of the organization. Glenda also is a member of the CAVC’s Judicial Advisory Committee.

Glenda is the recipient of awards honoring service to NOVA and the CAVC Bar Association which include: The President’s Award for distinguished service to the NOVA; NOVA’s Kenneth M. Carpenter Achievement Award for Excellence; CAVC’s Hart T. Mankin Distinguished Service Award presented to the NOVA leadership; and the CAVC’s Hart T. Mankin Distinguished Service Award was presented in recognition of outstanding service to the Court as a founding member and President Elect of the Court’s Bar Association and in support of the programs and administration of the Association since its inception.

Glenda practices out of the firm’s main office location in Topeka, KS. She enjoys reading, traveling, spending time with family especially her two granddaughters — watching them grow and play sports.

 

Katy Clemens

Katy has been practicing veterans’ law exclusively since 2006. For the first thirteen years, she was an attorney with National Veterans Legal Services Program, where she represented hundreds of veterans and their dependents and survivors, mentored dozens of attorneys through The Veterans Consortium Pro Bono Program, and annually edited and updated several different chapters of the premier textbook on veterans’ law, the Veterans Benefits Manual. After NVLSP, she taught for three years in the Bob Parsons Veterans Advocacy Clinic at the University of Baltimore School of Law, the eighth ranked law school clinic in the nation. Now at Carpenter Chartered, Katy focuses primarily on impact litigation, in order to bring large-scale changes to VA that can help the most veterans and their families. Katy is barred before the United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, and the Supreme Court of Maryland.

Katy graduated with a B.A. in English, summa cum laude, from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, in 2000. She received her J.D., magna cum laude, from Fordham Law School, in 2006, where she won numerous awards due to her academic achievement and public service. Katy has served on the boards of several non-profits including the National Lawyers Guild and, currently, Accessible Community, which nurtures disability-inclusive communities through ethical technology. Katy lives in Columbia, Maryland, with her family.

Shannon Holstein

Shannon has been practicing law since 1996, earning a Juris Doctor from the University of South Dakota Knudson School of Law in 1996 and a Master of Science in Negotiation and Dispute Resolution from Creighton University School of Law in 2014. She is admitted to practice law in the states of Arizona and South Dakota and before the United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, the Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces, and the Department of Veterans Affairs. She has served on the Military and Veterans Committee for the State Bar of South Dakota and was the founding defense counsel member of the Pennington County, South Dakota, Veterans Court.

Shannon served for eleven years on active duty as an Air Force judge advocate and later as a Reservist, achieving the rank of lieutenant colonel. While on active duty, Shannon focused on military justice. She was a prosecutor, area defense counsel, appellate attorney, the executive officer to the Director, United States Air Force Judiciary, and Honors Law Clerk for the Air Force Court of Criminal Appeals.
After leaving active duty, Shannon briefly served as the Sexual Assault Response Coordinator at Ellsworth Air Force Base, near her hometown of Rapid City, South Dakota. In 2011, she began her own veterans disability practice, to include becoming affiliated with Carpenter Chartered in 2019.

Shannon maintains a special interest in military sexual trauma cases, mental health claims, and cases involving Native American veterans. She is a sustaining member of the National Organization of Veterans Advocates and practices remotely from her residence in Phoenix, AZ.