Louise McKinney: mentor and friend.

• Jurisdiction: United States
• Date: 22 December 2012
• Author: Porath, Ann McGowan
• Published date: 22 December 2012
• Author: Porath, Ann McGowan

It doesn't seem that long ago that Louise McKinney began her career as an attorney at the Legal Aid Society of Cleveland. In fact, the year was 1978 and Louise was in the downtown Legal Aid office working with the Bar Advocacy Project, providing representation and support for people with mental disabilities. Lucky for me, when I began my placement at Legal Aid as a Heber Smith fellow, Louise was already a supervising attorney, and I was assigned to her charge. The impact Louise has had on my career, both then and now, cannot be overstated. Her confident dedication to the needs of low-income people and to giving them a voice still resonates with me today and is very much the reason that I have continued my career in public interest law at Legal Aid.

When I think of Louise, I can't help but recall a cold, damp Cleveland day in May 1981 when Louise and her husband invited the law clerks to their home for a cookout. As the grill was fired up, we gathered around the TV to cheer on the Indians in what turned out to be quite an exciting match-up with the Toronto Blue Jays. Two things stand out in my mind from that day: Ed McKinney's perfect mint juleps and the Indians' Lenny Barker securing his place in baseball history by pitching a perfect...