Legal Clinic volunteer able to provide more value than he could imagine

Butzel Long's Alex DeWitt has been volunteering at the Detroit Metropolitan Bar Association Foundation's free legal clinics (with the Third Circuit Court) since they started in 2014.

He's also been participating since the beginning of his own law career. In fact, Dewitt received confirmation that he had passed the bar exam during his first clinic.

According to Dewitt, "I'll never forget that I got the results at the clinic, and was able to celebrate with my colleagues there."

Today, Dewitt-who also serves on the Board of Directors of the DMBA's Barristers section-works in Butzel's litigation department where he specializes in business and commercial litigation, labor and employment, and media law.

His work at Butzel is far removed from the types of matters he sees at the clinics which include divorce and child support, land-lord tenant issues, personal protection orders, and more.

He has even counseled an elderly woman who felt she was tricked into purchasing a car.

However, Dewitt agrees with Access to Justice Coordinator Dennis Donahue that volunteer attorneys don't need to have specialized knowledge about the kinds of issues that people bring to the clinics.

"I was a little intimidated at the beginning," he said, "but Dennis has always been present to review my work and answer any questions. At the same time, I've found that the general knowledge I obtained in law school and while I prepared for the bar exam is almost everything I need. My fellow volunteers and I are able to assist people in areas that we never thought we could jump into so easily.

"I'm able to provide more value than I ever would have imagined."

Attorneys who volunteer at the clinics, which take place on the 4th Thursday of every month, aren't there to take on clients' cases. Instead, they provide advice on issues such as whether or not clients have a valid case, how to complete and submit court documents, the importance of showing up for court dates, and what kinds of things are likely to happen while in court.

That brief level of assistance may not sound like much, but Dewitt says it actually makes a huge difference.

"Almost every person who comes in is amazed that they can get this kind of assistance for free, and that they can get so much done by sitting down with a volunteer attorney for just fifteen to thirty minutes," he explained.

"There's a high barrier to entry in our legal system, and the intimidating nature of the process makes people feel like they have no recourse unless they hire an attorney. One of the biggest things we help with is getting people over that barrier to entry. We get them into the court system with the right forms and right information, and depending on the case, we're able to refer them to other legal aid clinics that will help them going forward."

The DMBAF's monthly legal clinics are a project of the Foundation in partnership with the Wayne County Self-Help Center, the Third Circuit Court, and the Wayne County Legal Services Consortium.

The next DMBA Foundation legal clinic will be held on Thursday, Feb. 25, from 11:30 to 3 pm SMART Detroit on the 13th floor of the Penobscot Building, 645 Griswold Street in Detroit.

Published: Wed, Feb 24, 2016