How to Work With a Low-income Client

• Publication year: 1985
• Pages: 1603

14 Colo.Law. 1603 Colorado Lawyer 1985.

1985, September, Pg. 1603. How to Work With a Low-Income Client

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1603

Vol. 14, No. 9, Pg. 1603

How to Work With a Low-Income Client

by Deb Spaar

[Please see hardcopy for image]

Deb Spaar is the Public Interest Law Coordinator for the Denver Bar Association and a consultant for the Colorado Bar Association Pro Bono Technical Assistance Project.

I view the law as a helping profession in the same way as medicine, psychology and social work are helping professions As such, the lawyer needs to be concerned about the whole human being, not just the client's legal problem. What I am proposing here is simply a holistic approach to the client which recognizes that legal problems do not occur in a vacuum, but rather within the context of the individual's entire life and personality.

Thomas L. Cory, Ph.D.

The Low-Income Client Profile

Although the above statement essentially applies to all clients with legal problems, there are some characteristics which apply more specifically to low-income clients.

Handicaps:

Many low-income clients are hindered by a lack of education which may not only make it difficult for them to distinguish between legal and other than legal problems, but which also may hinder clients in the development of problem-solving techniques (e.g., no organizational skills concerning recordkeeping or schedules).

Clients may be physically handicapped and may require special attention on the part of the lawyer, such as meeting a client elsewhere if the law office is inaccessible to the client, being sensitive to speech impediments and moving the light or the people in a meeting room so that it does not shine directly into the eyes of an older person.

Clients may speak a different language than the lawyer. This problem can usually be resolved by finding a lawyer who is familiar with the client's language or working with the legal aid services office to find an interpreter.

Logistics:

Many low-income clients may have logistical problems which might not occur to the lawyer, such as lack of transportation, no phone at home or unavailability of child care. It is important for the lawyer and the client to identify all of these potential problems from the beginning so that the professional relationship does not suffer later because of them (e.g., if the lawyer is unable to reach the client about a court date, the client misses an appointment). If not addressed initially, these problems often cause clients to think that their lawyers are not keeping them informed or can cause lawyers to generalize about the clients' lack of responsibility...