Robert Chisholm

Robert Chisholm's law practice focuses on representing disabled veterans in the United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims and before the Department of Veterans Affairs. Robert has been representing disabled veterans since 1990. During his extensive career, Robert has successfully represented veterans before the Board of Veterans' Appeals, Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.

Robert is a founding member of the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims Bar Association and served as President of that organization for the year 2002-2003. Mr. Chisholm served as the President of the National Organization of Veterans’ Advocates from 1999 to 2004. Mr. Chisholm’s work on behalf of NOVA resulted in the amendment to 38 U.S.C. § 5904 which now permits veterans to hire an attorney after the notice of disagreement is filed. He has presented at NOVA conferences, CAVC Bar Association Conferences, as well as the CAVC and Federal Circuit Judicial Conferences. He is the first recipient of NOVA’s most prestigious honor, the Kenneth Carpenter Achievement Award for Excellence. Mr. Chisholm was also inducted into the NOVA Hall of Honor in April of 2016 in recognition of a lifetime of dedication, service, and leadership. In 2016, the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims (CAVC) awarded Mr. Chisholm the Hart T. Mankin Distinguished Service Award in recognition of his 25 years of outstanding service to the Court.

Mr. Chisholm has served as appellant’s lead counsel in over 7,500 cases before the CAVC. Mr. Chisholm is admitted to practice law in the following courts: Rhode Island, New York, Massachusetts, United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims (1991); Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (1995); Supreme Court (1995). In addition, he is admitted to practice in the United States District Court for Rhode Island, the Southern District of New York, the Eastern District of New York, and Massachusetts.

• Veterans Law
• Public Benefits

Massachusetts

Since 1989

New York

Since 1989

Rhode Island

Since 1990

Federal Circuit

Since 1995

U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims

Since 1991

U.S. Supreme Court

Since 1995

Founding Partner

Chisholm Chisholm & Kilpatrick LTD

1990 - Current

Attorney

Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP

1988 - 1990

Boston University School of Law

J.D.

1988

Hall of Honor

National Organization of Veterans' Advocates

2016

Entrance to NOVA’s Hall of Honor is limited to those NOVA members, past or present, who have had a unique and lasting impact on the field of veterans’ law and whose careers exemplify NOVA’s tradition of excellent service to America’s veterans and their families.

Hart T. Mankin Distinguished Service Award

United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims

2016

Awarded in recognition of his 25 years of outstanding service to the Court.

Kenneth Carpenter Achievement Award for Excellence

National Organization of Veterans' Advocates

2008

The Kenneth M. Carpenter advocacy award is NOVA’s most prestigious honor and is named after one of NOVA’s original founding members. This award is presented at the spring conference to an outstanding NOVA member who has made a significant contribution to NOVA or to the practice of veterans’ law.

National Association of Veterans' Advocates

President

1999 - 2004

United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims Bar Association

President

2002 - 2003

An On-Ramp to the Future of VA Appeals

American Bar Association

July 23, 2018

Agent Orange, Burn Pits, and Presumptive Service Connection for Disability Compensation

American Bar Association

January 1, 2018

VA Appeals in Light of RAMP & Appeals Reform, An Overview of Veterans Litigation for General Practitioners

November 2, 2018

Federal Career Services Division and the Puerto Rico Chapter of the Federal Bar Association