Pro Bono Service
As part of a class project at Cooley Law School, third-year student Shane Goodale proposed the idea of having law students help the homeless. The homeless shelter at the Open Door Ministry caught the eye of Goodale when he would routinely drive by the shelter and see people eagerly standing in line, waiting to get the help they needed. What started as a law school class project has now evolved into Cooley's Homeless Assistance and Prevention Project. As part of the project, pro bono legal services are offered to those in need at the Open Door Ministry, an organization with a primary focus of providing sustenance, counseling, assistance, and love to those who find themselves in difficult circumstances.
As part of the program, Goodale and his colleagues offer the homeless pro bono legal services including legal advice on how to defend against illegal bill collection lawsuits and how to navigate the administrative process of obtaining a new driver's license. Information and advice is also given on how to access food, housing, and basic health care needs. One of the people that Goodale has helped in the program was a newly homeless 19-year-old man. The man's family had been devastated by the poor economy, resulting in the loss of their family home. However, Goodale offered the young man assistance by providing legal advice and information of where to stay, as well as information on obtaining a job so that the young man could get back on his feet. This young man's situation really emphasized the importance of pro bono legal services to Goodale. Goodale realized that there "is such a fine line that could be crossed in regards to needing help and being able to offer it, it could very easily be my family or myself in the same boat at any time, especially here in Michigan."
Goodale is currently serving as a commissioner in Meridian Township and juggles work, family life, law school, and pro bono work. "I want to make more of an impact on people…I want to do something that will make a difference", Goodale said. Currently, the Project only offers assistance at the Open Door Ministry, but Goodale is hoping to expand services in the future.
Goodale wants people to remember that pro bono services are important to those in need, because "it could be your sister, your brother, your mother, or father, and you would want someone to help them."
—Michelle Erskine
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