eNewsletter - October 2017

  

 

Susan Theiss has been at LAF since February, and she is having a big impact on the lives of our clients.  She works three days a week as Pro Bono Counsel for Complex Litigation, where her work covers all areas of LAF’s practice, in housing, employment, family law, consumer protection, and more.  Much like the generalists of LAF’s history, Susan does a little of everything, and does it very well.  One of her first cases at LAF was with Jerry, whose story you can read in this eNewsletter. 

 

Before Susan joined LAF as one of our in-house volunteer staff attorneys, she worked for years in litigation at Jenner & Block LLP, a 2017 Patron Sponsor of LAF.  She also taught high school history, and raised four children.  When her youngest child moved to college this year, she decided to use her time and skills to help those who struggle with poverty and injustice.  She loved being a part of a team as a lawyer and teacher, and wanted to use her writing skills to work to further education and social justice issues, like the ones LAF is on the front lines of every day.  In searching for meaningful work, Susan decided to see if she could use her law degree for those ends.  A former colleague at Jenner recommended LAF, and she got in touch with Diana White, LAF’s former Executive Director.  After meeting Diana and LAF's team, Susan found that LAF fit all that she’d hoped for – a team of smart people working hard and making a real difference. 

 

An average day for Susan at LAF includes work on a variety of matters, writing complaints, briefs, reviewing records, developing arguments, researching and reading case law – the sort of work she refers to as “sleuthing” – and getting ideas down with pen and paper.  Sometimes she goes to court, sometimes she meets with clients, but overall, she spends her days in what she calls “the meat and potatoes of litigation.” 

 

Of all the things she enjoys about LAF, the impact she sees is her favorite.  She didn’t expect to see so many victories, big and small, and to see that LAF’s clients are empowered and given a real voice in the justice system, “in a way I didn’t expect to be so palpable.  The work is more effective than I had expected and it truly makes a difference in our clients’ lives."  Also the sheer volume of LAF’s work was a surprise.  “Things are also resolved here so quickly – it’s rewarding as an attorney to get to see the beginning, middle, and end of a case – a client gets benefits he had wrongfully been denied, or staves off eviction, and it’s done.  You can feel a strong connection between what you do and the results.  Big litigation is sometimes mind-numbingly vast.  This is very human.”

 

We’re deeply grateful for everything Susan and all of LAF’s volunteers do to help us achieve our mission.  As Kate Shank, Director of LAF's Volunteer Services Unit, described: "Susan Theiss is a pro bono attorney who feels like staff. She is committed to our work, dedicated to her clients, and an amazing supporter of LAF.  We are so fortunate that Susan chooses to spend her volunteer time with us!"  Thanks for all your great work, Susan!