CBA Record Oct. 2015

26 / 56

PRO BONOWEEK 2015– RISE ABOVE YOUR NARROW CONFINES
field, they can and do become a force for
social change within their communities
and profession.”
The same is true today. Instead of just
reading about the problems in Chicago’s
troubled neighborhoods while shaking
their heads in frustration, attorneys pro-
vide real help. “I love volunteering at the
Woodlawn Clinic,” says Katie Jahnke
Dale, a DLA Piper associate, “Being there
reminds me of why I became a lawyer, and
helps me remain connected to my com-
munity.”
Clinics provide attorneys with work on
a variety of interesting legal issues. Because
they are collaborations between social ser-
vice and legal aid agencies, volunteers get
the help they need to help their clients,
including legal support and supportive
social services.
Volunteers at LAF’s Woodlawn Clinic
have helped a woman who’d suffered
four aneurysms get her Section 8 housing
voucher reinstated, helped another woman
obtain a no contact order against a neighbor
who was stalking her, represented a single
mother in a closing on her first home, and
made it possible for a man to untangle
himself from a mass of bureaucracy which
had resulted in a gross overstatement of his
child support obligations.
This compelling work reminds volun-
teers why they wanted to become lawyers in
the first place. Shawna Boothe, an associate
at SchiffHardin, considers volunteering at a
legal clinic more than a professional obliga-
tion. “I believe my volunteer work did not
end with helping a single mother and her
family; it had an impact on the community
in which this family lives in and in which I
practice law. I can proudly say this because
I have seen such impact first-hand.”
Help your professional community,
help the Chicago community, and help
yourself by volunteering at a neighborhood
legal clinic.
Margaret C. Benson is Executive Director of
Chicago Volunteer Legal Services
Volunteer at a Neighborhood Clinic
You can improve your community by volunteering at a neighborhood clinic.
Find a time, location, and experience that is a good fit for you. Here are a few
clinics that need volunteers now:
CVLS Neighborhood Clinics
(contact Kathy Koester at ):
CVLS Clinics serve clients in neighborhoods all over Chicago at various days
and times and in a number of areas of law. Here is just a sample of the CVLS
clinics available:
Chinatown Pro Bono Legal Clinic / Chinese American Services League
Housing Forward / St. John’s Lutheran Church
Indo American / Indo-American Center
Jane Addams / CVLS
Our Lady of Mercy / St. Clements Church
Trinity United Church of Christ
Visitation Church
LAF Juvenile Expungement Clinics
(contact Kate Shank at :
School-based clinics include one hour of CLE accredited training (no prior
experience necessary) and 2-4 hours of assisting juveniles with expungement
petitions.
Center for Disability & Elder Law Senior Legal Assistance Clinics
(contact Caroline Manley at :
Ten Cook County clinics assist low-income seniors and people with disabilities
with a variety of legal issues, including simple estate planning, powers of attor-
ney, uncontested divorces, consumer fraud, collections defense, guardianship,
real property and landlord/tenant.
26 OCTOBER 2015
CVLS’Clinic Program expanded quickly as founder John Ferren’s idea to bring free legal advice to low-income Chicagoans took hold,
and he began to develop clinics in neighborhoods across the city.The Christian Action Ministry Clinic inWest Garfield Park closed in
the mid-80s, later to be replaced by the newly-formed Legal Prep Community Law Clinic serving the same area.