Warren Flowers picks up his phone on the third ring. On the other end, a 72-year-old veteran from Fayetteville breaks down crying. After 15 years, the VA has approved of his Agent Orange claim, following previous denials.
“Now I can take care of my family,” the veteran says through tears.
Flowers inhales. These calls never get easier. For every celebration, he thinks about the partnerships that made it possible – dedicated VA staff who expedited the claim, compassionate leaders who pushed for reform, and the growing network of advocates working both inside and outside the system to serve veterans better.
He recalls those stories from his Raleigh office, where case files cover every surface. Stories that prove what’s possible when people refuse to give up on America’s veterans.
December 4, 2001 – December 4, 2005. Warren marks time in his own story not by birthdays or holidays, but by service dates. That first date isn’t just a line on a resume – it’s a reminder of the commitment that connects him to veterans he serves and the VA professionals working to honor that same commitment from within the system.
Today, Flowers Law Firm stands as one of the few veteran-focused practices in the country, partnering with VA staff and leadership to ensure veterans receive the benefits they’ve earned through their service.
From aircraft to advocacy
For four years, Flowers worked on aircraft systems where perfection wasn’t a goal – it was survival. In avionics, every wire, every connection, every system mattered. Mistakes weren’t tolerated because lives hung in the balance. The work was demanding and unforgiving. A loose connection could ground a mission. A misread schematic could mean someone didn’t come home. The pressure was constant, but it taught Warren something important: when lives are on the line, there are no shortcuts.
That’s where discipline got into his bones, he explains. In avionics, if you’re sloppy, somebody doesn’t make it home. That sticks with you. The Air Force didn’t just teach him technical skills – it changed how he thought about responsibility. Warren learned that his work directly affected whether fellow service members made it back safely. That weight stayed with him long after he left the military.
The Air Force made discipline second nature, he says. Working on aircraft, there was no margin for error. Either you got it right, or lives were at risk. That precision, that seriousness, he carries into every case. Veterans need someone who won’t cut corners.
When his service ended in 2005, Flowers became a detective. The work was different, but the mindset was the same. As a detective, he learned to follow evidence even when it led to uncomfortable truths or dead ends that meant starting over. Detective work taught him that persistence isn’t just about working hard – it’s about asking the right questions and refusing to accept easy answers when deeper digging might reveal the truth.
Being a detective taught him persistence, he says. If you stop at the first wall you hit, you’ll never solve the case. You must keep pushing. But investigating crimes meant responding to problems after they’d already happened. Flowers wanted to build something that could prevent problems before families got hurt or justice was denied.
Both careers were about service and accountability, he reflects. As a detective, he saw how much truth matters when you’re fighting for someone’s life. That was translated directly into law. And as a veteran himself, he knew the system wasn’t built to make things easy. It was obvious to him that veterans needed a space where they wouldn’t be just another file number.
The brutal commute
Law school meant sacrifice. Warren drove to classes three days a week, two and a half hours each way. The logistics were brutal. Early morning departures. Coffee and cramming during every spare moment. Time away from family. The constant juggling of work, school, and everything else. Warren did the math on what it was costing him – not just money, but sleep, time at home, and energy.
He drove five hours roundtrip, three days a week, he remembers. That was the price. But quitting was never an option. Those highway hours became thinking time. Warren dealt with doubt, exhaustion, and the size of what he was trying to accomplish. But he also used the drives to remember why he was doing it.
His father had taught him something simple but important: build something with integrity. Don’t cut corners. Don’t sell people out. Build something that lasts. Those words kept Warren going during the hardest parts of law school. His father believed that integrity wasn’t just personal – it was about creating something that would serve others long after you were gone.
His wife, Candice, witnessed him push through exhaustion and doubt. When it got too heavy, he turned to her with three words: “I need help.” Her response was simple: “I got you.” That exchange became the operating principle of their marriage and their firm, Flowers says.
Starting from zero
Law school was only the start. Next came the bureaucratic hassle of getting accredited to represent veterans. Without the right credentials, Warren couldn’t access VA systems or build proper cases. The accreditation process was frustrating. Forms that needed other forms. Waiting periods that stretched for months. Requirements that seemed designed to discourage rather than help.
Getting accredited was a mountain, he recalls. It took months of persistence and paperwork, and without that access, you can’t serve veterans properly. Starting out, he didn’t have backing or networks. It was him, stubbornness, and faith.
Unlike lawyers who joined established firms or inherited practices, Warren was starting from zero. No clients. No guaranteed income. No safety net beyond his own determination and Candice’s support. Warren also had to learn that veteran law wasn’t just about legal principles. He needed to understand VA regulations, medical terminology, military culture, and how different federal agencies worked together – or didn’t.
The process was long, he explains. The access to their systems wasn’t there. It took months before he could even get the credentials to represent veterans properly. But watching the system fail, veterans taught Warren something important. He started seeing patterns in the denials, inconsistencies in the process, and gaps between what veterans needed and what they got.
He kept meeting veterans who were denied, not because they didn’t deserve benefits, but because the system didn’t take the time to see them, he says. At some point, you realize working inside the box isn’t enough – you need a whole new box.
That realization became the foundation of Flowers Law Firm. Warren wasn’t just starting another law practice – he was creating something different that put veterans first. He wanted a place where veterans knew they were safe, he explained. Where they wouldn’t be treated like a file number.
Leveling the field
One of Warren’s smartest moves was bringing medical professionals into his practice. He recognized early that strong medical support was crucial for winning VA claims. The VA listens when evidence is presented in its own language, he says. So, he brought in doctors who had trained in the VA system. That way, when a veteran files their claim is supported with medical opinions that the VA must respect. This development has significantly benefited clients by creating a more equitable environment.
He recruited a doctor and a nurse practitioner to strengthen claims. Their evaluations provided the kind of documentation that carried weight inside the VA system, turning denials into approvals. It wasn’t about outsmarting the VA. It was about giving veterans a fair fight.
Dr. Shatina McCurtis, a former VA physician who now works with Flowers Law Firm, has seen the difference firsthand. When she reviews a veteran’s medical records and writes an opinion linking their condition to service, the VA can’t dismiss it easily, she explains. She speaks their language because she used to work there.
The strategy works. Flowers Law Firm has assisted veterans in obtaining benefits, including 100% disability ratings that qualify for maximum monthly compensation.
The weight of victory
Success in veteran law isn’t measured in billable hours. It’s measured in restored dignity and families kept together. Success is when a veteran tells him they got their dignity back, Flowers says. It’s not just about the money or the rating – it’s about them feeling seen, respected, and cared for.
The cases that haunt him most are the Agent Orange claims. Veterans like Robert M., a 68-year-old who was exposed to the herbicide in Vietnam and denied for 12 years before Flowers took his case. There was one veteran, denied for years because of Agent Orange, Flowers recalls. They built the claim right, had the doctors document everything. When that 100 percent rating came through, it changed his whole family’s life. His kids could go to school. They could finally breathe.
Another story still sticks with him. A veteran with terminal cancer – the VA had dragged out his case for months while his health deteriorated. They fought hard, got him approved before he passed, Flowers says quietly. He died knowing his wife was taken care of. That mattered.
Terminal cases carry special urgency. Veterans who are terminally ill may experience long delays in receiving benefits due to slow bureaucratic processes, according to Flowers. To make someone who’s dying wait years for benefits is cruelty, he says. That’s the only word for it.
Straight talk on the VA
Warren speaks honestly about the Department of Veterans Affairs, viewing it as both an ally and an obstacle. The VA is an ally – but it’s also an obstacle, he admits. Veterans shouldn’t have to fight twice for what they earned.
He appreciates the hardworking staff but is frank about the system’s inefficiencies and delays. For Warren, reform means common sense: expediting claims for the sickest veterans, cutting red tape, and putting humanity back into the process. We’re not talking about numbers, he says. We’re talking about people. Men and women who gave everything. And now they’re told to wait? That’s wrong.
The victories that fuel him most are the moments when veterans finally receive recognition. When you see a veteran’s face when they hear they’re finally at 100 percent, that’s everything, he says. You can’t buy that feeling.
For Flowers, the victories are never his alone—they belong to a system strengthened by the right partnerships, where advocates and VA leaders together refuse to let veterans fall through the cracks.
The partnership
While Warren battles in courtrooms and VA offices, Candice runs operations with military precision. She handles intake calls, manages schedules, and ensures no veteran falls through the cracks. Military life teaches structure, Warren explains. They run their house and their firm with that same discipline. Roles, accountability, mission – it’s all connected.
When pressure builds – and it always does with veteran law – they rely on each other like battle buddies. She doesn’t just stand behind him – “she’s in the trenches” with him, Warren says. She’s the reason this firm works.
Candice sees her role as essential support for a larger mission. She remembers the moment Warren turned to her and said he needed help. She just said, ‘I got you. Whatever you needed me to do, I would do it,’ Warren recalls.
That promise became the backbone of their partnership. While Warren built the legal strategy, Candice managed the operations, steadied the family, and expanded their impact through real estate – helping veterans secure homes with VA loans. He couldn’t do this without her, Warren admits.
Building something that lasts
For veterans considering entrepreneurship, Flowers offers hard-earned wisdom rooted in military principles. Don’t wait for perfect conditions, he advises. They’ll never come. Start where you are, use what you have, and be ready to sacrifice. Veterans already know discipline – entrepreneurship just means putting that to work differently.
His own children watch their father’s commitment and understand that service continues beyond the uniform. His kids see the discipline, he says. They see the late nights, the sacrifices. They know this isn’t about money, it’s about service.
And they hear the echo of their grandfather’s words, passed down through Warren: integrity, persistence, dignity. He wants his kids to see that service doesn’t stop when you take the uniform off – it just changes form.
The legacy he’s building extends beyond individual cases. Flowers anticipates more veteran-focused firms forming a fairer network. He wants veterans 20 years from now to say, ‘Flowers Law Firm fought for us and stood with us,’ he reflects. He wants to build something that lasts – that’s what his father taught him.
The fight continues
Leading one of the few veteran-focused law firms in the country means carrying weight that would crush most people. Each denied claim means a family is facing hardship. Each delay risks a veteran’s life. It means responsibility, Flowers says. He doesn’t get to hide behind excuses. If we don’t fight for veterans, who will? It’s weight he carries with pride.
For Warren, success is defined not only by the number of cases won but also by establishing trust over time through handling individual cases and working with veterans. The phone keeps ringing. Veterans keep calling with stories that would break hearts and ignite fury. And Warren Flowers keeps answering, bringing the same precision he once applied to aircraft systems.
This isn’t paperwork to him, he says, his voice carrying quiet intensity. For veterans, this is life or death – as it was when they all raised their right hand and swore to serve our country.
Warren Flowers’ work demonstrates that fighting for veterans requires the same precision once applied to aircraft systems – where every detail matters, every connection must be perfect, and failure is not an option because lives depend on getting it right.
Resources
Veterans Benefits Support
• Flowers Law Firm – Raleigh-based veteran-focused practice | flowerslawfirm.info | (919) 438-3357
• Veterans Service Organizations (VSOs) – Free claim assistance (DAV, VFW, American Legion)
• VA Disability Benefits Helpline – 1-800-827-1000
Mental Health & Community Support
• Veterans Crisis Line – Dial 988, then Press 1 (24/7 confidential support)
• Give an Hour – Free mental health services for veterans and families | giveanhour.org
• Team Red, White & Blue – Veteran community wellness and connection | teamrwb.org
• National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Helpline – 1-800-950-NAMI
Agent Orange Information
• VA Agent Orange Registry Exam – Free health screenings for eligible veterans
• VA Presumptive Conditions List – Automatic service connection for certain illnesses | va.gov
• Vietnam Veterans of America – Advocacy and support for those affected | vva.org
Families & Caregivers
• Military OneSource – 24/7 support for service members, veterans, and families | 1-800-342-9647
• Elizabeth Dole Foundation – Hidden Heroes caregiver resources | hiddenheroes.org
Legal & Financial Assistance
• National Veterans Legal Services Program (NVLSP) – Free legal help for VA claims/appeals | nvlsp.org
• State Veterans Affairs Departments – Local benefits, claims support, and resources
• VFW Unmet Needs Program – Emergency financial assistance | vfw.org
• American Legion – VA claims help, scholarships, and family programs | legion.org
Self-Advocacy Tips
• Request copies of all VA medical records
• Document everything in writing
• Never accept “no” as final without understanding appeal options
• Consider accredited representatives for complex claims