Students on the Hickory Trip work with attorney supervisors to counsel seniors on wills and advanced directives
As we began the training process to prepare for our Pro Bono
trip to Hickory, North Carolina it was impossible to imagine the tangible real
life impact our work could have on the local community. It is so easy to lose sight of why you
actually came to law school as you prepare daily and weekly for classes, and
ultimately for your final exams for the semester. Taking a Pro Bono trip, like the one to
Hickory is a remarkable way of putting everything into perspective and making
use of what we are learning in school.
We started out our first day at the Legal Aid of North
Carolina, Morganton office in Burke County. There, Andrew Cogdell ‘85 led the volunteers by patiently providing
guidance as we drafted wills, powers of attorney, healthcare powers of
attorney, and living will documents for the clients. I think we were all grateful that our first
day was the lighter of the three days as we became more familiar with the documents
and how to explain them to our clients. At
the end of the day, we had the opportunity to reflect on our experience and to
collectively learn more. We were also
able to go to dinner as a group and learn more about each other. I personally enjoyed the chance to get to
know some of the 1Ls and 2Ls I hadn’t had the opportunity to interact with
before the trip.
The second day of our trip we had the wills clinic in
Catawba County, in a local church. It
was great to see that our work could have such a meaningful impact on the
wonderful people in that community. The
clients were grateful and seemed to walk out of there with a weight lifted off of
their shoulders. Sometimes it became
very emotional as a client was facing their own mortality but ultimately they
all wanted to take the burden off their loved ones they would be leaving
behind.
The final day we spent in Caldwell County at a library in
Lenoir, North Carolina. It was a very
busy day and the reality set in that at times you have to be aware of the
potential of undue influence on your
clients. Learning to navigate the
situation by separating your client from his or her family members so you can
ensure their specific wishes are implemented, is an important lesson to learn, especially
early on in your legal career.
This was such a rewarding experience and I am so thankful
that I had an opportunity to meet so many wonderful people in the Hickory
area. Hearing stories about their lives,
their families, and about why it was so important to them to have everything in
order was amazing. As we study law and
go through the process of learning the elements, it is easy to lose sight of
the human component. While it was a
great opportunity to gain experience in preparing legal documents, client
counseling, and interviewing, I think the best part was that we were able to
provide meaningful assistance to clients who might not otherwise have the means
to hire an attorney. I think we all
enjoyed our time together and are thankful for the opportunity. I only wish I had been able to participate in
a Pro Bono trip sooner.
Posted by Allison Standard Constance on Mon. March 25, 2019 2:55 PM
Categories:
Spring Break 2019