ALSC is so happy to celebrate justice champion extraordinaire Andy Harrington as our February Volunteer of the Month! Andy has truly done it all in his ALSC career that has spanned nearly 4 decades – from serving as a staff attorney, to Executive Director, and now to pro bono volunteer. We are so appreciative to have Andy’s knowledge, passion, and unwavering dedication to access to justice for our clients through his pro bono advocacy! Check out our full interview with Andy below:
Why did you choose to volunteer with ALSC?
I know, from my days at ALSC, how vital the pro bono effort is to ALSC’s mission, and how much the low-income clients need, and appreciate, the volunteer time put forward by Alaska’s pro bono attorneys. The law and the courts can be scary things for many. Bad things can happen to good people who lack good legal guidance. Your skill set can go a long ways towards filling that need. (Mine can’t, but I mean yours.)
What are some of your experiences at ALSC that have made a positive difference in the lives of others and the community?
It’s just a good feeling to be able to dissuade some sententious client away from pursuing some course of action bound to end disastrously; to bring some semblance of peace of mind to an anxiety-permeated client losing sleep over some non-issue; to remove some legal obstacle that, while as small as a kidney-stone, hurts like one as well, and removal of which provides relief commensurate with removal of same; or to restore some measure of justice to a person who has been ill-treated. (None of those things have ever happened to me, but I’ve heard others talk about them. Sounds fun.)
How do you think your experiences with ALSC will benefit you in the future?
What goes around comes around. (And even if it doesn’t, it still goes around for a while, due to inertia.)
Is there anything else you would like to share with our readers?
Just a huge “thank you” to everyone else who has taken on a pro bono task this past year. Rinse and repeat. For pro bono novices, come on in, the water’s fine.
