Study Aids
Case Briefs Overview
Casebooks
Case Briefs
R

Ravin v. Wilkie

31 Vet. App. 104 (2019)

From our private database of 46,500+ case briefs, written and edited by humans—never with AI.

Ravin v. Wilkie

United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
31 Vet. App. 104 (2019)

SH

Facts

In 2009, Ira Easterling filed for total disability based on individual unemployability (TDIU). After the Department of Veterans Affairs (the VA) denied Easterling’s claim, Easterling hired attorney Sean Ravin (plaintiff) to represent Easterling in an appeal to the Board of Veterans’ Appeals (the board) (defendant). Easterling and Ravin signed a pro-bono representation agreement that stated Ravin would seek compensation under the Equal Access to Justice Act (EAJA) for representing Easterling before the board. The board vacated and remanded the VA decision and awarded Ravin EAJA fees. Ravin and Easterling subsequently signed a contingency-fee agreement for 20 percent of past-due benefits for representation before the VA. The new agreement stated that representation before the VA was not the same work as representation before the board and that EAJA fees would not offset contingency fees. The VA granted Easterling’s TDIU and awarded past-due benefits. The VA informed Ravin that the EAJA fee would offset the contingency fee. Ravin challenged the offset, but the board upheld the decision pursuant to precedent from a 2001 decision by the United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims. Ravin appealed.

Rule of Law

Issue

Holding and Reasoning (Toth, J.)

What to do next…

  1. Unlock this case brief with a free (no-commitment) trial membership of Quimbee.

    You’ll be in good company: Quimbee is one of the most widely used and trusted sites for law students, serving more than 832,000 law students since 2011. Some law schools even subscribe directly to Quimbee for all their law students.

    Unlock this case briefRead our student testimonials

  2. Learn more about Quimbee’s unique (and proven) approach to achieving great grades at law school.

    Quimbee is a company hell-bent on one thing: helping you get an “A” in every course you take in law school, so you can graduate at the top of your class and get a high-paying law job. We’re not just a study aid for law students; we’re the study aid for law students.

    Learn about our approachRead more about Quimbee

Here's why 832,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:

  • Written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students. 46,500 briefs, keyed to 994 casebooks. Top-notch customer support.
  • The right amount of information, includes the facts, issues, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents.
  • Access in your classes, works on your mobile and tablet. Massive library of related video lessons and high quality multiple-choice questions.
  • Easy to use, uniform format for every case brief. Written in plain English, not in legalese. Our briefs summarize and simplify; they don’t just repeat the court’s language.

Access this case brief for FREE

With a 7-day free trial membership
Here's why 832,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:
  • Reliable - written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students
  • The right length and amount of information - includes the facts, issue, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents
  • Access in your class - works on your mobile and tablet
  • 46,500 briefs - keyed to 994 casebooks
  • Uniform format for every case brief
  • Written in plain English - not in legalese and not just repeating the court's language
  • Massive library of related video lessons - and practice questions
  • Top-notch customer support

Access this case brief for FREE

With a 7-day free trial membership

Casebooks

Military Law

Key Terms