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October is Access to Justice month in Arkansas. The Arkansas Bar Association is honored to share the below article by Anna Leggat who wrote about her experience with access to justice while volunteering at a pro bono clinic during her summer as a 1L law clerk.

The Power of Human Connections

My interest in professional responsibility was greatly strengthened this summer while clerking with Friday, Eldredge & Clark LLP in Little Rock after completing my first year of law school. Every Wednesday while clerking at the firm, we were invited to have lunch with an attorney. This particular Wednesday, we met with a firm attorney who spoke about his love for pro bono work. He was full of stories, expressing how much he cares about what he does, and the importance of never losing sight of the real, person-to-person connection that can come from working as an attorney, not just seeing it as a purely transactional career. 

            Coming into law school, I had little to no background in law. I received my Journalism degree from the University of Missouri and had taken one First Amendment course. However, I knew that whatever I wanted to pursue as a career, I needed to meet people, make connections, and have real interactions. Growing up, my mom and my grandma always brought my older sister, Margot, and me to the Queen of Peace Center. Queen of Peace Center is a program in Saint Louis, which helps single moms get back on their feet after suffering from addiction. I remember helping my mom host a barbeque at the Center and being the same age as some of the children there, painting their faces and playing games with them. Listening to the attorney speak of his work, and seeing how much those interactions affected him and pushed him to continue his work, I was reminded of these memories and knew I needed to find a way to get involved. 

The next morning, I went straight to his office and asked him where to begin. He said, “I have three appointments in Clarendon, we leave in 15 minutes.” I quickly went to tell another clerk, where I would be that day and she joined us as well. We drove down, talking about what to expect, who we would meet, and the impact he hoped it would have on us. I can truly say that day exceeded my expectations. 

When we got down to Clarendon, we started with lunch at Bendi’s Diner. In just an hour of being in Clarendon, I noticed how many people the attorney had already had an impact on, and how respected he was there after multiple people greeted him with smiles and handshakes. We then went to Mid Delta Health Center where we met the clinic’s social worker, Susan Caplener, and attorney Victoria Frazier who works with Legal Aid of Arkansas. The Health Center has a medical-legal partnership with Legal Aid of Arkansas, which means anyone who comes to the clinic and presents problems that could be resolved through the help of an attorney but cannot afford to hire a lawyer, can make an appointment with the clinic to obtain free legal assistance.  

The first client we had was a lady who suffered from a physical disability that prevented her from being able to work. When she presented us with her questions, she explained how she needed help, but did not know where to start. I remember thinking, this is where to start, and the fact that she took the steps to meet with us in the first place, meant that she was heading in the right direction. 

She expressed how much physical pain it brought her to work, but also the mental pain of knowing she was no longer able to work the way she used to. She had worked since she was a teenager and told us how her parents instilled in her a strong work ethic. My respect for this woman continued to grow throughout our interaction. Knowing how much it meant to this woman to work hard and provide for her family, I wanted to make sure she left our meeting with hope and support. After making sure her initial needs were met, the attorney began asking about her family and how she had prepared for the future. He asked whether she had a will, and she said, “No.” Victoria then began to go down a list of questions, asking about her family members, birthday, and other logistics. One of those questions asked about what assets she owned, and she joked, “Nothing but a camper home.” Then, a spark lit up in her eye and she quickly exclaimed how she had a ring from her mother, and that she wanted that ring to go to her niece. This woman was so generous with one thing that was precious to her, and seeing how happy it made her to know she had something nice to leave to her niece made my heart just as happy. This experience made me begin to think more about what things we own and what each of us attach value to. Estate Planning is not only for those with great wealth but is critically important for populations who are often without access to legal services to pass on the results of their life’s work to their loved ones.

Along with the will, we made sure she left with information about additional public programs, such as the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP), she may be eligible for, a healthcare power of attorney, and a feeling of comfort, knowing she had a few less things to worry about. A meeting that began with a hard conversation led to a happy ending, not just for our client, but for me too. The feeling of fulfillment I got after shaking her hand and letting her know I would get those forms completed and sent over to her was one I had not had before. This experience helped me learn and understand the ways I can use the skills learned in my first year of law school to provide services that make a real difference in someone’s life.

The next client we had was a single mother of five children, one of whom was a young boy who suffered from mental and physical disabilities. Right when this woman sat down, I knew she meant business. In front of her was a folder about five inches thick, filled with papers, records, doctor’s notes, and any information she could need to help resolve the circumstance she was in. She explained her son’s circumstances, and my heart sank. I sat there holding back tears, thinking how strong she was. Then, I noticed how her face was one I had seen before. My mom made the same face when my sister and I were bickering, or when I used words I should not have. The type of face that was usually followed with “you are on thin ice.” This was the face of a mother who had had enough. She was determined to do anything in her power to get justice for her son and for her family, to provide them with happy and healthy lives, and to make sure they have the opportunities to be the best they can be.

The attorney went through the same questions and procedure as he did with the previous client. At one point, he explained how Victoria could make a phone call, and how that one phone call could likely prevent this issue from reoccurring. One phone call from an attorney could give the wrongdoers the idea that their actions may soon have consequences and encourage them to fix the problems they created. This was something that astounded me. The power that one phone call could have shocked me, but quickly made me realize that I too would have the same type of influence for good at some point, and knowing when and how to use that power was an important lesson, and one many young attorneys, including myself, needed to learn. 

While we waited for our last client, the attorney walked us over to the courthouse. It was an old courthouse, but beautiful and full of stories. Inside, we met the circuit court and probate clerks. They were so happy to see the attorney and eager to meet the other clerk and me, as well as to tell us all about the courthouse, what they do, and their love for each other and their jobs. One story that made me laugh was how the clerks make crock-pot meals when they know they have a long court session ahead of them, and in between trials, they rush down to enjoy a hot meal with each other, the judges, and the attorneys. The relationships that I encountered inside that courthouse and around Clarendon were the type many hope to experience in their careers, and it brought me so much joy to witness a group of enthusiastic, hardworking people who are invested in each other and working toward a common goal.

            Our last client was an older man who began explaining how a neighbor of his had been using part of his land to get to his home. I had just completed a property course, and my brain went straight to, “Oh no, not the easements again.” He then explained how he had built his home from the ground up, literally, and was not happy with the idea of others encroaching on something he took so much pride in. I could almost hear Professor Clowney, my property professor at the University of Arkansas School of Law, exclaiming “How far will it go?” when covering the topic of easements, and realized how his lessons were coming to life right in front of me. To some, this problem might have seemed small. But to somebody who put the time, money, and labor into building himself and his family a home, and knowing that his property was all he had, this was much bigger. Once somebody takes part of your land to use, how far will it go? Victoria began researching land records and deeds, pulling up Google Maps to get a better idea of the land that was being used. She soon realized that there were some discrepancies in the county real estate records, and that was likely the piece of information that was the key to resolving this issue. As she worked on that, the attorney asked the man the same questions as the previous clients. We made a plan, shook his hand, and our last client meeting ended.  

This experience taught me a lesson that I will always remember, and that is to use your education, your time, and your skills for something more than making a good living. Use them for good, or “pro bono.” Seek ways to help the people who need it but do not know where to begin or do not have the means to do so. Those are the moments that will make your career successful. To me, that is what pro bono is all about.

Professional responsibility, to me, is everything I encountered that day. Those three clients each lived different lives, challenges, and experiences. However, I could find a connection with each of them. In journalism school, the idea of human-to-human connections was always a key point in telling a good story. I think that is because people find peace in knowing there is common ground and finding common ground with somebody with a completely different background is intrinsic to any interaction, especially in law. The ability to find a connection with strangers is a large part of professional responsibility. It is about building trust, respecting those with different backgrounds, providing quality work to all clients, and showing up for those who need it. It is the drive, positivity, and empathy the circuit court clerks had, the considerate, selfless attitude Mrs. Caplener and the rest of the staff at the medical clinic had, and the feeling of fulfillment I left with knowing I was a part of making a client feel a bit more at ease than they walked in.

However, professional responsibility is also about following through. When I returned to the firm the next day, I was given the responsibility of drafting wills and healthcare powers of attorney for each of the clients we met with the day before, and this was different from the other projects I had previously done. There is a certain sense of joy you get when you are completing work that you promised to a person in need with whom you had worked face-to-face, and understanding how the completion of that work will positively affect their lives. That feeling is what will continue to motivate me to do my best work and give me fulfillment.

As I continue into the legal profession, experiences like these are what I look forward to the most, and I hope to make the same impact on the lives of my future clients as the attorney had on our clients in Clarendon.