Hello, LAWM friends!

October has been an important month for LAWM. It is Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

In 2022, domestic violence was a factor in over 800 cases we closed, and through that work we helped over 2,300 people, including kids who were being abused.

Keeping people and families safe is now and always will be a LAWM priority. Safety is the foundation from which everything else in life can flow—holding down a job, succeeding at school, and living healthily.

October is also Pro Bono Month, when we celebrate the volunteer attorneys who accept case referrals from us, helping our low-income clients at no charge.

Why is this so important? Two reasons. First, in the 17 counties we serve, over 634,000 low-income people are eligible for our help. For every one LAWM attorney, there are 13,790 potential clients! Volunteers are an extension of our team, helping us to help more people.

Second, volunteers have skills in areas of law that we do not often work in. So, when a client visits us with a unique problem, we can find a volunteer whose skills match that client’s need. But don't take our word for it...

We recently heard from Tammy, a senior who came to us because poor conditions were making her home uninhabitable. Tammy said this about volunteer attorney who fought for her:

“He was beyond anything I ever could have imagined when I reached out to Legal Aid! Kind, caring, compassionate, and a real honest to goodness hero, in my book. He never once made me feel unappreciated and not worthy of his knowledge and expertise.” 

Last week we hosted dozens of our pro bono volunteers and supporters at the annual Barnes Award Pro Bono Reception. While it’s hard to call out one volunteer among so many great ones, Dave Sarnacki’s 800+ volunteer hours made him more than worthy of a shoutout. Congrats, Dave!

We also owe a big thanks to our friends at Smith Haughey Rice & Roegge, who sponsor the reception every year in honor of Michael S. Barnes, a former SHRR lawyer and LAWM pro bono champion. Thank you, SHRR!!!

Our Kalamazoo team opened their new office space to community members for a housewarming. Over 25 nonprofit and government partner organizations stopped by, along with local attorneys and other friends.

This new space will let us host future events for both clients and partners. Keep an eye out in 2024 for one of our “Donuts & The Law” partner training programs. Donuts are on us!