It could be the plot line for a new TV series – a group of law students with their professor travel to different areas to give free legal advice to people in low-income areas. Sound good?
In the case of Riverside resident Leanne Heine it is not fiction, it’s real life. A law student at the University of Texas Law School, Heine and a group of her fellow students traveled to the Rio Grande valley and Houston in January as part of a new program at the school called Law Pro Bono.
The trip, arranged by the organization in January was intended for the would-be lawyers to do meaningful work during their winter break. The lawyers-in-training will be heading to Houston to assist victims of Hurricane Ike, specifically helping them deal with their land titles.
Those going to the Rio Grande valley will be working with the South Texas Civil Rights Projects and Texas Rio Grande Legal Aid, interviewing low-income clients about their various needs, including wills and estate planning. They will also work on immigration matters. The program gives the students the opportunity to see first hand how their chosen profession works in the real world.
It is not surprising to see Heine choosing to be part of the program as she has already demonstrated how she is willing to help. Prior to going to college, she was active with the youth group at Riverside Presbyterian Church and went on many of their summer trips, particularly in the South.
The daughter of Gwen and Mike Heine, she is a 2003 graduate of RB High School and graduated from Tulane University with a degree in accounting and sociology. She was at Tulane when Hurricane Katrina struck and managed to see what it did first hand.
For a short period of time she studied at Marquette University, which stepped in to help students from Tulane. Upon returning to Tulane she helped the people in the area, so it is not surprising she would enter a program such as Pro Bono that gives her yet another chance to help those in need.
