News
Public Interest
Apr. 23, 1999
Churches Join to Reach a Community
Like many other lawyers, Gary A. Farwell knows how tiresome it can be to have relatives and friends constantly asking for legal advice on every topic imaginable. He rarely loses sight, however, of how lucky he is to have such wisdom.
"There are some people who have never met a lawyer, and don't know anyone to call about very simple, basic questions regarding their rights," said the Inglewood sole practitioner. "They have no idea what they are entitled to."
Farwell met one such woman through his church, the First African Methodist Episcopal Church of Los Angeles, in 1993. She had lived with a man for several years but never married. Her lover died and his children took all his possessions, leaving the woman with nothing.
"She did have potentially enforceable rights but she didn't have the opportunity to ask anyone," said Farwell, who met the woman shortly after he started the Sunday Free Legal Clinic at the church. As a result, too much time had passed and he had to tell her she had no claim. "Had we been around when it happened, she would have been able to come in."
To reach out to those without ready access to a lawyer, Farwell helped start the Sunday clinic as a joint project between First AME and Los Angeles' Temple Isaiah. The clinic is held every other Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the First AME complex and is staffed by approximately 60 volunteer lawyers, paralegals and law students.
Michael Asimow, a UCLA law professor and Temple Isaiah member, developed the concept for the clinic, which he brought to the attention of his rabbi, Robert Gan. Gan shared the idea with First AME's pastor, Cecil L. Murray, and the two clergymen - whose organizations have a sister relationship - put the concept into action. Since it opened six years ago, the clinic has helped approximately 3,000 people.
"If you're very poor you can get free legal services, and if you're affluent you can afford a lawyer," said Asimow, who also serves as the clinic's co-director. "But a great number of people fall in between, and we sort of stepped into the gap."
When someone comes to the clinic, she is interviewed by a law student or paralegal, who determines the problem and tries to establish rapport with the client. "Some of our volunteers listen to every single problem the person has in the world, even though they aren't legal problems," said Farwell.
Once the law student or paralegal determines what the problem is that needs to be resolved, he relays the information to a volunteer lawyer, who gives advice. The law student or paralegal then takes that advice back to the visitor.
Asimow said using law students and paralegals to relay information is less time-consuming than having the lawyers meet directly with each client. He also sees the volunteer work as "a fun, nonthreatening way to give law students a chance to do pro bono service."
Announcements for the Free Legal Clinic run in First AME's church bulletin as well as on the radio and in newspapers. Approximately two-thirds of the people who seek help are members of First AME; many of the volunteer lawyers are also members of the congregation.
"Here's a program where black and Jewish volunteers help people, most of whom are black, together," Asimow said. "This is bridge-building between the black and Jewish communities that is very important."
The clinic is held at a home that is owned by, and within walking distance of, First AME, keeping overhead costs fairly low. The clinic's malpractice insurance is provided by Public Counsel, the Los Angeles public interest law firm, which also helps train clinic volunteers.
"What makes it work is we don't go to court for anyone. All we do is self-help advice," said Asimow. He added that if a visitor has a problem he can't take care of himself, the center refers him to a legal services provider or a fee-charging lawyer.
"Some of the problems are very small and easy and some are very big and scary, like home equity fraud," he said.
Jan Chapman Gabrielson, a Los Angeles sole practitioner, heard about the program the night before his son's bar mitzvah and was inspired to volunteer. Gabrielson specializes in family law but answers all sorts of questions at the clinic.
"Sometimes we have volunteers who know exactly what to do, and sometimes we don't, so we have to muddle through code books," he said. "It's a minimum commitment of time, and it's very rewarding."
Because of the program's success, Asimow said he's surprised the plan hasn't been used by other congregations.
"My biggest disappointment is I thought the pattern we created here would really work at other churches, but I've never been able to get anyone to pick up the ball and run with it," he said.
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Stephanie Cahill
Daily Journal Staff Writer
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