Well I finally got my butt in gear and signed up for the CALL 4ALL program (now “Lawyer on the Line”) with the NC Bar Association. Â What had I been waiting for? Â I kept telling myself I was too busy — not enough hours in the day. Â Also, you know how when you’ve been doing something for so long, trying to learn something new seems a bit daunting? Â You see, I had been advising attorneys on ethics issues for 17 years or more, and the Bar Association’s volunteer program would require me to learn something new –egads! Â But, as it turns out, it wasn’t so hard, and I did have the time after all. Â I picked the area of Landlord Tenant law to learn about, I got some online training provided by the program, and I was assigned a great mentor who is my lifeline in case I get a question I can’t answer. Â I am assigned a client once a month and I talk to this person on the phone for about an hour and give advice.
Just answered my first call recently and it was an eye opener. Â I wrote up my report and sent it to legal aid and I was done. Â Or was I? Â I keep thinking about the woman I spoke with, the hardships she was enduring, and hoped that I had provided some measure of assistance to her.
The call reminded me to count my blessings more often. Â Take a moment out of your busy day to be thankful, and if you can, take another look at the Lawyer on the Line program. Heck, if I can do it, you can too.