Eye-opening lessons come from legal clinic

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The biggest lesson Mindy Schroeder has learned since starting at the Marquette Volunteer Legal Clinic is one she didn’t expect.

“You just think everyone has equal access to justice, but that’s not really the case,” said Schroeder, program assistant at the clinic, which offers free legal advice and referrals to people who might not otherwise have access to legal counsel.

“A lot of things cost money, and a lot of things require the ability to get out and about and get to the courthouse by a certain time and have transportation. That’s been eye-opening. It can be paralyzing to not have transportation. It can be life-changing.”

Schroeder can understand.

Her life has certainly changed since she started at the clinic in 2013. The position let her combine her undergraduate studies in Spanish and communication with her master’s degree in educational administration with a focus on educational policy and leadership. It’s a professional triumph she achieved while working part-time so she could be home with her sons.

And it’s been a welcome surprise, since, Schroeder explained, “I don’t really have a legal background at all.”

But after having her second child, she knew she didn’t want to continue working full-time.

A job working with international students in Marquette’s study abroad program got her closer to the kind of schedule she wanted. But, Schroeder said, “I wanted to make more of a local impact.”

So, she applied for the legal clinic.

“I thought, ‘They won’t be interested in me.’ ”

But, as it turns out, managing volunteers, working with students and helping with the often-Spanish speaking clients at the clinic’s office at the United Community Center has actually been a pretty perfect re-packaging of her talents.

It’s also given Schroeder a chance to make a difference.

“We can fill a need in the Milwaukee area. Unfortunately, there aren’t a lot of financial resources for lower-income folks in Wisconsin, in general; we’re one of the lowest funded states. We have a little more funding this year, but it’s a drop in the bucket compared to most states. And free legal advice doesn’t solve everything. But we can make a real difference for people in half an hour.”

That’s true even if they can’t clear up a client’s legal question.

“We tell our law students, ‘A little bit of kindness goes a long way.’ And, sometimes, that’s all that people need. They walk away from the clinic feeling fulfilled because someone was kind, someone listened to their story.”