Diligence

All of the summer volunteers are here. We currently have four (Ashley is the fourth and she will introduce herself later).

So what has been going on? The volunteers are still diligently working on the letters to the attorneys. Also, the next couple weeks bring about nine Wills and Estates Workshops/Clinics. One clinic will be held at each of the Jackson area senior/retirement centers. The summer volunteers will be assisting me at these. While there, we will inform the group on the importance of planning their estates and define documents such as Last Wills and Testaments, Powers of Attorneys, and Advance Healthcare Directives. Following the informational, we will be available to meet one on one with potential clients. If they need us to prepare any or all of the documents, we will do so free of charge.

I am currently halfway through my term as an Equal Justice Works AmeriCorps Attorney at the Mississippi Volunteer Lawyers Project. The amount of experience that I have gained during my brief tenure is insurmountable. I have been able to experience the management side of things with my SumVols. I have my own cases that I work on (a few have already been completed). I have already met several attorneys, made great contacts, and worked with amazing people. My networking notebook is growing by the minute. The most important part of what I do is client interaction. There is something so humbling about a client who feels as though there is nowhere else to turn, coming to you with all of their vulnerability, and asking for help. I really think the pay in public interest is that you truly are helping people that would not be getting help elsewhere. In private practice, the client can simply go somewhere else and pay another attorney. Here at MVLP, we are often the last stop and the last hope for a large percentage of our clients. Our mission is to help all that we can. We will do this with due diligence.