by Derek Smith
I started volunteering at Elder Law of Michigan in January of 2014. I had gone through law school interested in the field of elder law, but I wanted to get some real world experience before I graduated. Once I started volunteering, I was able to sit with the hotline attorneys and learn how the computer systems and the case process works. After the training, I felt like I was ready to take calls on my own. After taking my first call, all of the training clicked into place, and all of the staff was willing to clarify things if I needed help.
Being able to put what I learned in three years of law school to a practical use was a great way to spend my last term of school. I was able to help real clients with real issues, and I learned a lot of new information on topics we didn’t cover in school. Volunteering at Elder Law of Michigan was a great experience, and I would recommend it to anyone at any level of law school seeking a way to get experience and expand their education.