Earlier this month, I participated in our Columbus Expungement Clinic—an all-day event planned and supported by a myriad of local partners, courts, and more than 70 volunteers. The event was amazing, helping 250 people with expungement and record sealing applications.
One of the best places to be at these clinics is at the end—as clients finish filing their applications, say goodbye to the people who helped them, and exit the clinic looking visibly relieved. There are sometimes hugs, happy tears, and high fives exchanged between people who were strangers just thirty minutes beforehand.
We always ask for feedback, and a comment from a client named Alanna struck me: “Keep offering programs to the public like this – it really improves and shows community.”
When you are immersed in it, it’s easy to forget that the legal “community” isn’t exactly welcoming to outsiders. We use our own language, dictate our own norms, and set strict entry requirements to join us. This arena can be intimidating and frightening, even in the best of circumstances, and many of the people who need Legal Aid’s help are not living in the best of circumstances.
Nonetheless, LASCO’s pro bono clinics are important not just because they can provide life-changing help to people, but also because they exemplify what is best about our profession—commitment to community and serving others—the reason many of us went to law school.
April is Volunteer Month and a time when we acknowledge the hundreds of hard-working lawyers, paralegals, students, and community members who support our work. You take time away from your busy lives to make others’ lives better, and from my vantage point as Pro Bono Director, it’s beautiful to watch. But the reality is that we need much, much more help than we currently have.
If you are volunteering with us now, thank you. If you are considering it, please reach out. And if you’re just not sure, remember what Alanna said. Your volunteer contributions both improve our community and showcase what is best about it. High five to that.
