As part of Celebrate Pro Bono 2011, we are highlighting pro bono legal service in South Carolina.
Allison Humen
Allison Humen currently serves as the SBA Liaison to the USC School of Law Pro Bono Board. When asked what drew her to pro bono service, she recalled:
Since I was younger, I have participated in various service projects and organizations. The Pro Bono program offered the opportunity to continue serving not only the community at-large, but also the legal field which we are all now a part of. Not only do you get to serve, but you are able to do this alongside your classmates.
She describes her first major experience with the Pro Bono Program, the Harvest Hope Food Drive in the fall of of 1st year:
All of the students and professors do a wonderful job of encouraging students to work together to make such a large donation to Harvest Hope each year. Being a part of this unified effort in giving back to the community proved how much good the school can do. Since then, I was invited to join the Pro Bono Board, from which I have not only been able to participate in various projects, but also help organize these projects for the student body.
She’s been involved in several pro bono projects over the past few years:
I completed the Guardian ad Litem training in my first year, and since then having been serving as an advocate for the best interests of the children in my cases. From speaking to older classmates and hearing about their experience with this program, it seemed like the ideal opportunity to help families and children, while being able to participate in the legal process. Although it is difficult at times by playing an important role in these children’s’ lives and their future, it has been an invaluable experience. I would recommend this program to every law student. Not only does this experience remind you of the personal aspect of the law which we are studying, it also gives you practical experience.
I am currently a Carolina Clerk. This is a program created by Pam Robinson and Dean Wilcox, which matches volunteer law students with lawyers who have agreed to pro bono client representation. The Pro Bono Program has widely publicized this new program throughout the school as well as on the school’s website, so I was eager to help kick-off the program and volunteered early. The current case I am working on is a DSS case, so it has been interesting to work on family law issues from the standpoint of the parent, rather than the children which are the sole focus of the Guardian ad Litem role.
As a member of a few student organizations I wanted to create a way for different organizations to team up and serve together. With the help of Pam, the Student Bar Association and the Pro Bono Board initiated Good Deed Friday. This program gives all of the student organizations, journals, Moot Court Bar, and Mock Trial Bar the opportunity to join together and volunteer a (Fri)day of service at a local charitable organization. Our first Friday was September 30th, which members of the Student Bar Association, Pro Bono Board, and the Real Property Trust and Estate Law Journal volunteered a few hours at the Harvest Hope Food Bank. Not only are we helping the community, but we are also strengthening the law school community by enabling student leaders to bond over these “good deeds.”
Any lessons learned from pro bono?
Pro bono work has expanded my view of how many people are in need and are in need in so many different ways. When you are surrounded by so many fortunate members of the law school community for the vast majority of your time, it is easy to forget how many people go without. Participating in pro bono has heightened my gratitude for all that I have been blessed with, as well as my compassion for those who have less and my responsibility to help any small way I can.
What’s your advice to other law students?
Get involved early! Even if you are afraid you won’t have the time. Everyone in law school is busy, but Pam does a wonderful job of providing a wide-range of opportunities within the Pro Bono Program. So if you only have one afternoon a month to offer, we will find a place for you to volunteer then! If you aren’t able to complete the two-week Guardian ad Litem training, there are many ways to volunteer that do not require any additional training!
Will you continue pro bono service after law school?
My passion for service did not begin in law school, and I am certain that it will not end after graduation. It is important for every one of us to do pro bono work, and I believe this need is only strengthened once you become a licensed attorney. At that point, you will have more tools in your belt and therefore be able to serve the community in ways that the majority of the population cannot.
Thanks for your service Allison! I look forward to hearing more from you in the future!
~RFW
