Clinic helps Allendale prepare legal documents in a positive setting

Laughter, singing and playing piano are not activities commonly associated with educating a crowd on the complexities of the legal system. However, combining them was the strategy of the Allendale-Fairfax Education Foundation’s free legal assistance clinic, which aimed to help Allendale residents understand important issues like estate planning and writing wills in a low-stress setting.

“This is really an area where you want to be proactive, and most people aren’t aware of what it is they need to do,” said Joseph Birch, chairman of the Allendale-Fairfax Education Foundation. “People got here right when it started and even before, and they were very, very eager to get the answers.”

On February 9, the University of South Carolina sent a bus of law students to Emma’s House in Allendale, with the help of the Allendale-Fairfax Education Foundation. Throughout the day, the students helped locals prepare paperwork related to end-of-life decisions like writing a will and healthcare power of attorney. However, since these topics often involve discussing major life decisions, family change and death, Birch and community leader Lottie Lewis wanted the event to have a productive, welcoming tone.

Lily Young, an Allendale resident who attended the event, said making paperwork preparations for death was a serious task. However, being able to get the help she needed in a warm environment helped her make decisions.

“My husband passed away a year and a half ago and he did not have a will,” Young said. “So, we went through the probate process and it was just ­extra, and I didn’t want to have to do that to my children. It was a positive experience, it was awesome. I’m so excited to get both of those documents done.”

Lewis said a frequent issue families in the community face is not having a will and other important estate documents in order until a tragedy happens. Then, an often-uneducated family leader must learn to navigate the complexities of the legal system while grieving. Having legal education present within the community, Lewis said, will help to elevate the community as a whole.

“One of the reasons why you see so many abandoned homes is young people leave, the elderly people die out and nobody is paying the taxes, so the property goes to waste,” Lewis said. “People today were very receptive.”

Only two percent of small law practices are in rural areas and many rural lawyers are retiring from practice, according to the University of Washburn School of Law. As a result, the legal system is less accessible for people living in rural areas, a ­phenomenon referred to as a “legal desert.” Education regarding the complexities of the legal system is particularly important for estate planning and is ­often out of reach for many South Carolina communities, accord­ing to Taylor Gilliam, pro bono program director of the University of South Carolina School of Law, who led the event.

“What we encounter in rural parts of the state is that sometimes people can’t read or people have various infirmities that our students learn to accommodate,” Gilliam said, noting that those in need of a will are often taken advantage of by scammers and insurance companies. “There’s a lot of misinformation out there. Getting that will written means it’s less likely somebody’s gonna take advantage of them later, because they have one in place already.”

In addition to helping the Allendale community, Gilliam said, students at the University of South Carolina School of Law got experience with providing community-based legal services.

“In the public’s eye, we [lawyers] are only called in when something bad happens,” Gilliam said. “More often than not, [lawyers] are advocates for one side in an adversarial system. Here, there’s really nobody they’re up against. It’s just helping a person and their family figure out what to do with their property. It’s more relaxed.”

The bus frequently goes around the state, helping students give free legal advice to those in need; Gilliam said that on one day, they were able to complete 51 wills. Birch said the Allendale-Fairfax Education Foundation is also considering giving presentations at the Allendale County Schools on careers in law, as well as helping educate students on related topics.

For Dennard Small, a student at South Carolina School of Law, employing what he has spent time studying in law school helped him get needed experience.

“I’m a second-year law student, so less than two years ago, I was in the same position they were in as far as understanding some of these concepts,” Small said. “I was in their position a short time ago, so it’s fulfilling in that way.”

“Mrs. Lottie Lewis is bringing good things to the community all the time and I was very pleased,” Young said. “As far as the experience [writing] the will, it couldn’t have been better.”