Q&A with Former Legal Clinic Director Mia Friedman
On September 20, we hosted a Legal Clinic for the Homeless at Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program (BHCHP), staffed by volunteer attorneys from Liberty Mutual and Fish & Richardson.
There was a familiar face among the volunteers: Mia Friedman, Pro Bono Manager at Fish & Richardson, who previously managed the Legal Clinic.
Below, Mia offers her point of view on the volunteer experience and the value of the clinic program.
You ran the Legal Clinic for a number of years. What was it like experiencing the clinic from the other side, as a volunteer attorney?
It’s very rewarding to be a volunteer! Running the clinic is a lot of work and, despite the most detailed planning, always requires a lot of thinking on your feet.
Volunteering at the clinic, instead of running the clinic, made me appreciate all of the advance work that Lawyers Clearinghouse does to ensure that attorneys have a productive and pleasant pro bono experience. I was welcomed to the clinic, shown to an interview room, and introduced to clients who had been previously screened and who had relevant paperwork to share. It was a wonderful experience to be able to connect with pro bono clients and assure them that Lawyers Clearinghouse pro bono attorneys can help them.
Did the Fish & Richardson team find the experience valuable?
Yes! One of the attorneys noted that he had a great experience and would definitely continue to participate. The clinic is an excellent opportunity to get out of the comfort zone of law firm life and do something good for the Boston community.
Why is pro bono important to the firm and to you personally?
At Fish & Richardson, pro bono is an integral part of our professional culture. In 2018, Fish pro bono entered its second decade as an institutional practice group dedicated to providing exemplary service to low income clients and broadening access to justice for those that are underserved and underrepresented. Personally, I feel incredibly lucky to be able to support the firm’s amazing pro bono work. It is particularly rewarding for me to work with Lawyers Clearinghouse because I believe so fully in its mission and have such wonderful relationships with its staff.