National Jurist -September 2008 - (Page 17) The calm after the storm Drake students, among others, continue to clean up the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina by providing legal services and support any students view spring break as a time to hit the beach, work on their tans and stay up until the wee hours. Then there are some other students who take up a good cause. Although the deadliest storm in U.S. history — Hurricane Katrina — struck almost three summers ago, the impact continues to this By Dave Thomas day. Drake University Law School students, along with those from a number of other schools, have lent a helping hand in New Orleans trying to make life a little better for people still in a recovery mode. The trip was part of a mission by The Pro Bono Project. The goal was to match private bar attorneys with civil legal cases for A. Clark School those too poor to afford of Law, Howard legal services. University School “We heard a number of of Law, Temple compelling stories,” said Law School and Adam Gregg, a third-year Saint Louis Drake Students in New Orleans Drake law student. University School Of the many heartof Law, as well breaking stories, one included a man left as from the Student Hurricane Network, homeless, like many others. spent spring break in New Orleans work“He was denied Social Security disabil- ing with The Project. ity benefits,” Gregg said. “He’s never had “We’ve become a legal laboratory for law legal representation regarding the benefits, students and young attorneys of the private and we prepared his appeal. Complicating bar,” said Rachel Piercy, executive director the matter is the fact that many of his med- of The Pro Bono Project. “They have come ical records were destroyed by the flood, from law schools and private firms across following the hurricane.” the nation to gain the experience of workThe need for legal services for the poor ing in such an environment.” and indigent more than doubled in New The Project’s current caseload is focused Orleans following the impact of hurricanes mainly on employment and wage, succesKatrina and Rita. That’s where the Pro sion, family/child custody, homeless and Bono Project stepped in to recruit the vol- elder law. unteer services of law students and private Gregg and six other Drake students bar attorneys. worked on homeless legal issues, consumer and family law issues. Making a difference Gregg said it’s clear that Drake and their Students from Drake, Drexel University previous experiences working at law firms Earle Mack School of Law, Villanova prepared them well. University School of Law, Indiana “We feel like we were able to do some University School of Law, UDC David good,” he said. September 2008 THE NATIONAL JURIST 17 “The experience has imbued me with a sense of humility.” —Josh Patrick, 3L, Drake University Law School Josh Patrick, a third-year at Drake, said the experience has made his outlook on life a bit more refined. “I still feel that the organizations that exist to provide legal services to the indigent are under-funded and under-staffed,” Patrick said. “There are a number of excellent people, including The Pro Bono Project, out there doing all that they can to ensure that the rights of all people are recognized and defended. However, there is still so much that can be done.” Patrick also believes this experience will help him as a lawyer down the road. “In the future, this experience will help me in many ways,” he said. “First of all, I will always be committed to providing legal services to those who cannot otherwise afford them. Second of all, the experience has imbued me with a sense of humility. I will never lose sight of the true goal of the legal profession, which is to protect the rights of the public.” In the case of these Drake students and many more like them, they did just that. “We hope to be able to do the same thing next year, but with many more students,” Gregg said. “It will take some massive fundraising and organization, but we think we can pull it off.” http://www.law.drake.edu/ http://www.law.drake.edu/
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