Meeting the Need
By Lynn Elliott Gaither

One year ago a group of attorneys met in Oklahoma City for an evening reception celebrating the beginning of Trinity Legal Clinic of Oklahoma Inc. The next day, more than 20 attorneys and law students gathered for training sessions on criminal law, immigration law and family law. These same attorneys, plus those who have joined along the way, have provided well over 250 hours of free legal services and served approximately 150 indigent persons in Oklahoma City who otherwise would not have had timely access to legal counsel.

Trinity Legal is an Oklahoma not-for-profit corporation funded by donations from attorneys and others interested in helping the poor with their legal needs. The clinic model is designed to maximize resources, to minimize inefficiency and to empower volunteer attorneys to make the most of their commitment of time and talent. Instead of using resources to operate a bricks-and-mortar facility, Trinity Legal partners with existing community organizations. The clinic operates within the partner organizations’ facilities and serves the partner organizations’ clients. The partner organizations assist with initial client intake and financial eligibility screening. Trinity Legal’s first two partner organizations are City Rescue Mission and Cross and Crown Mission, both in Oklahoma City. Discussions are ongoing for adding additional “partnerships” at other locations.

This clinic model also ensures clients are served in a comprehensive manner. Indigent clients needing help with child support enforcement often also need assistance in feeding and clothing their children. Cross and Crown Mission has programs to provide this assistance. Homeless clients with outstanding warrants for failing to report to their probation officer often need an addiction recovery program. City Rescue Mission provides these programs. Clients receiving assistance with their legal needs also have access to other services which address other needs, thereby providing a holistic approach and increasing the likelihood of long-term improvement in their life circumstances.

Many Trinity Legal clients are taking advantage of these services to improve their situation. At City Rescue Mission, Trinity Legal often assists clients who are enrolled in the Bridge to Life program. In addition to attending recovery programs such as Alcoholics Anonymous, participants in this structured program commit to attend numerous life-skill classes designed to help individuals overcome homelessness permanently. Clients take courses on anger management, financial skills, job training, parenting, relationship skills and communication, among others. Trinity Legal’s volunteer attorneys help these participants deal with legal issues that would otherwise impede their progress toward completion of the program and their goal of independent living.

Most attorneys volunteering with Trinity Legal sign up to serve at a two-hour clinic session once every month or every other month. At the clinic, two attorneys meet with a client to discuss the client’s legal issues. The attorneys answer legal questions and provide counsel on how to proceed in a given situation. If a client has a matter requiring ongoing representation, one of the interviewing attorneys might volunteer to provide further assistance on a pro bono basis or might find another attorney to assist the person. Realizing that no legal service organization is capable of meeting all the needs of the poor, Trinity Legal continues to network with other legal service organizations, government agencies and charities to address as many needs as possible.

Trinity Legal provides volunteer attorneys with training and information on common poverty law issues such as child custody, guardianship, divorce, misdemeanors, birth certificate corrections, social security and victim protective orders. A desk reference manual is available at each clinic location and covers the applicable law and procedures for many poverty law issues. Reference attorneys are also available to answer questions from clinic volunteers regarding specific legal issues.

The needs of the poor are great, far greater than the available resources of Trinity Legal and all the other worthy legal service organizations. Please consider how and where you can best serve the poor, so many of whom desperately need the help only an attorney can provide. Every attorney with a heart for service can make a difference.