Posted October 8, 20249:00 am
As a Case Western Reserve University law student, Lauryn Durham, started volunteering at Legal Aid Brief Advice Clinics. She realized that Legal Aid’s values aligned with her own.
In her current position as an Associate in the Government Investigations & White Collar Practice at Squire Patton Boggs, Lauryn remains dedicated to volunteering with Legal Aid.
“Being able to do well and do good is very important to me, and I know Squire has a long-standing relationship with Legal Aid. We see the good that Legal Aid is doing in the community,” she said.
What really made an impact on Lauryn was when she saw her childhood Sunday school teacher at a clinic. As a Cleveland native, this made volunteering personal.
“I'm able to help people that are more akin to how I grew up. I don't interact with many CEOs of companies dealing with government subpoenas in my day-to-day life, but I do know people who might have a landlord tenant issue, a family matter, or custody issue,” Lauryn said. “You can see the results and benefits of the work you're doing.”
Lauryn enjoys volunteering because it allows the person that is coming for help to be heard and validated. She understands that many people attending the clinics may feel overwhelmed and by giving them steps to resolve their legal issue she’s able to alleviate some of their stress.
“Lauryn is such a great example of a volunteer leader – not only does she do pro bono, she also encourages and recruits others at her firm and around the city to participate,” said Lauren Gilbride, Managing Attorney for Legal Aid's Intake Group and Volunteer Lawyers Program. “She is a champion of Legal Aid, and we so appreciate all of her efforts to extend justice.”
As a Deputy Pro Bono Liaison at Squire’s Cleveland Office, Lauryn continues to encourage others to volunteer.
“It really builds your arsenal of what you know as an attorney. At the Brief Advice Clinics, there's a lot of attorneys there that have been doing this for years. If volunteers who don’t really deal with family law or landlord tenant disputes on a day-to-day basis come to a Brief Advice Clinic, there's always someone there to help and to answer questions.”
Legal Aid salutes the hard work of our pro bono volunteers. To get involved, visit our website, or email probono@lasclev.org.