Looking to build your professional legal skills? Pro bono opportunities will enable you to broaden your skills and serve the community. Guest blogger Rebecca Birger, Class of 2013 shares her experiences with the Domestic Violence Courthouse Project and how you too can become involved.
I started volunteering with the Domestic Violence Courthouse Project in January 2011. Volunteering with this project was a great way to begin learning about the legal profession. Typically, I worked with one client a shift, helping him or her to draft an Order of Protection and accompanying him or her to court. Mostly what I did was ask questions, write down a coherent account of the abuse, and fill out the paperwork. I had help from other volunteers and supervisors the first couple of times, and it did not take long for me to feel comfortable enough to assist someone on my own. The work was not difficult, but I know that I made a huge difference in someone’s life every time I was at the courthouse.
The thought of even starting the process to end an abusive relationship is often terrifying, and being greeted at the courthouse with a stack of confusing paperwork probably discourages many people from ever taking the first step. With the Domestic Violence Courthouse Project, your job is really about empowering someone to take legal steps toward a healthier and safer life. The program is a wonderful way to get a small glimpse of how the legal system is more than complex business transactions and multi-million dollar lawsuits. You spend a couple of hours talking and writing, and you see how our legal system works for, and hopefully helps, one person in his or her everyday life. No matter what you are interested in practicing, I would recommend volunteering at the Domestic Violence Courthouse Project for an important lesson on how even simple legal work can make a huge difference.
Make a huge difference in someone’s life: BECOME A VOLUNTEER with the DOMESTIC VIOLENCE COURTHOUSE PROJECT. The next law student training is scheduled for Saturday, September 10th at the COL in Room 903 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. If interested, contact: Marissa LaVette, Supervising Attorney, Domestic Violence Pilot Project, dvpilotproject [at} gmail.com with a copy to Barbara Hausman of the Schiller DuCanto & Fleck Family Law Center at bhausman [at] depaul.edu.
If you'd like to find out about even more pro bono and other volunteer opportunities, please email Cheryl Price, Director of the Pro Bono & Community Service Initiative, at cprice13 [at] depaul.edu to be added to her newsletter distribution list
