Meet Clinic Supporter Richard VanRheenen
In 2009, Richard VanRheenen felt a moral tugging within himself. “I decided that I needed to be more intentional about pro bono legal work,” he says, “which I had not really given much attention to before.” Richard spent his days representing business and industry on environmental aspects of real estate transactions, litigation, and regulatory matters. This type of litigation includes lawsuits over who will pay how much of an environmental cleanup. He always knew this was the kind of legal work he wanted to practice. “I was drawn to the combination of law and science,” he tells me.
But armed with his newly formed determination to focus more on pro bono work, Richard approached Neighborhood Christian Legal Clinic about volunteering in civil legal aid. “I liked [the Clinic]’s concept,” he says. Drawn to the neighborhood intake format for new clients, Richard believed that different intake hours at different sites around the city would make pro bono legal services more convenient and accessible for those in need.
Since then, Richard has assisted with new client intakes. Pre COVID-19, this entailed going to an intake site and meeting with a handful of prospective clients to listen to the legal issues burdening them. In the moment, Richard offers information and advice, and then his notes are reviewed by our staff team, who determine if we are able to take the case or not. The variety of case types that walk through the door during intake can fall into a variety of categories, including landlord/tenant, immigration, family law, tax, bankruptcy, expungement, and driver’s license issues—although there are outliers. For Richard, the opportunity to meet face-to-face with a person and offer them immediate attention and guidance is meaningful. “I like the personal connection with the people who come in for help,” he says. “And it helps keep me from getting too removed from problems people have when they are financially poor.”
After becoming a volunteer for the Clinic, Richard chose to become a financial supporter of the mission as well. For him, this decision was a matter of spiritual conscience. “I feel more connected to my [Christian] faith by giving time and money to [the Clinic] than I do trying to puzzle out theology,” he says. “I feel the one, and mentally process the other, and for me, the mental processing just gets in the way.”
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Richard continues to find ways to support our work. Although he is no longer conducting face-to-face intakes, he still assists our office with conducting telephonic intakes with new prospective clients. “Telephonic intake is more difficult on all levels, but [the Clinic] has done a great job of adapting to the need to do intake telephonically rather than in person and has made it very workable,” he says.
Being a supporter of the Clinic is important to Richard because he believes in the Clinic’s mission to serve our neighbors in need and wants to be a part of it. “I feel fortunate to be able to participate in the dignity of [the clients’] lives with respect to helping with their legal problems,” he says. “I am proud of the pro bono tradition in our profession and want to contribute to that.”
To learn more about volunteering for the Legal Clinic, please visit our website.