By Signe K. Skinion

SIUC law students are applying what they learn in class by providing legal assistance for free through a new program initiated in the area, school officials say.

The Southern Illinois Regional Family Pro Bono Project takes students from the SIUC School of Law and pairs them with attorneys from 13 Southern Illinois counties where legal service is in high demand but money for service is almost nonexistent, said school officials.

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Mary C. Rudasill, an SIU law professor, said through the pro bono project lawyers do the legal work of a case for free. She said students involved in this project learn that the need for legal assistance for poverty-stricken people is high, especially in rural areas.

I think it’s great because the law students have an opportunity to work with indigent clients and see first hand the need for legal assistance, Rudasill said. Pro bono is mandatory for lawyers in some states, but it is not mandatory in Illinois. Some law schools require their students to do some sort of free legal work, and that is what this is for.

Rudasill said there are approximately 25 second and third year SIU law students currently involved in the program.

We only accept second and third-year students because the first year students really don’t have the time for the work, Rudasill said.

The project covers 13 counties that show need for legal assistance, Rudasill said.

It’s important for the students to go to the smaller counties like Alexander and Pulaski, and others where the legal service is very needed, Rudasill said. We didn’t want to keep the students in the area close to campus because we wanted them to see what other problems are going on away from the campus area.

Michael Fiello, directing attorney for Land of Lincoln Legal Assistance, Inc., said SIU law students are doing a great job with their work and are getting a great deal of education by working with this program.

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There are two things that really come out by working with this program the students assist the lawyers and take some of the strain off the case by interviewing the witnesses and working on the details of the case, Fiello said. And the students get the practical, everyday application experience that they can’t get by going to class.

This project is a new idea that is working well, Fiello said.

The program is different from other pro bono programs because of the pairing up of the student with the lawyers, Fiello said. This is the only program in the state with the law student component. The feedback from the lawyers is that the students are doing really well and working very hard and the students seem to be enjoying the work.

Fiello said the program deals with many aspects of civil law that general practice lawyers will deal with in a normal, professional practice. He said some of the cases law students are working on deal with family law, disability cases or consumer problems.

Amy Kilgus, administrative assistant at the Illinois Pro Bono Center in Champaign, said pro bono works for the law students because they learn how the law is supposed to work in theory by helping those in need.

The Center’s philosophy is to promote voluntary delivery of pro bono legal assistance, Kilgus said. These voluntary lawyer efforts best reflect the needs of each community and can maximize the level of pro bono service from local attorneys.