Three third-year KU law students walk into the upstairs office of the Hall Building in Kansas City, Kan., at 9:15 a.m. They’ve sat through countless hours of law courses, ran through cases and filled out paperwork. But this is no class. Today they will work to solve the legal problems of real clients.

The students work at Southwest Boulevard Family Health Legal Services Clinic. The legal clinic is for low-income clients who can’t afford medical services or legal aid.

David Gottlieb, associate dean of clinical programs at the University, said the idea for the clinic came from medical professionals who discovered their patients’ legal problems often hindered complete recovery of their health.

“If somebody comes in and is injured because they are in an abusive relationship, treating their bruises will ultimately be futile,” Gottlieb said.

The clinic, which has been open since January, recently received a $300,000 grant from the Topeka-based Sunflower Foundation.

Patricia Thomas, the clinic’s staff attorney, said the grant was a huge relief for the clinic because it relies on grants to pay its staff and operate its facilities.

The law students work at the clinic eight to 10 hours a week without pay to fulfill a degree requirement for clinical work. They are supervised by Gottlieb, KU law professor, and Thomas.

“We’re trying to alleviate people’s legal problems so they can focus on their health problems,” Nathaniel Thompson, Neodesha law student. said.

Thomas said the students had a client who regularly used the clinic’s fitness center because he had diabetes. When the client received a traffic ticket that suspended his license, the clinic resolved the ticket so he could continue visiting the gym to work out. Thomas said the connection between a person’s legal problems and his or her health problems was important, but not always apparent.

The legal clinic has already served about 125 clients. The clients are referred from local medical offices and the clinic is working to establish a referral partnership with the University of Kansas Medical Center.

Thomas requested that the full names and specific case information of the clinic’s clients remain confidential.

The health clinic provides general medicine services, dental care, fitness, karate and health classes, cooking classes, a massage therapist and a literacy program.

“We wanted to make it a one-stop shop so people know they can go to a specific center and get a number of services that will help them,” Thomas said.

Thomas said the legal clinic helped reduce clients’ stress levels. The clinic advises clients on issues related to traffic tickets, family law, wills and estates, and abuse cases.

Laura Lane, Atchison law student, said it was exciting to help clients exercise legal rights they didn’t know they had. She said many clients would not have had access to legal help if they had to pay fees.

Thompson, who handles wills and general law cases, said some clients who faced legal problems and couldn’t afford legal help suffered additional health problems such as depression and stress.

Thompson said although he was still only a student, he felt his training had prepared him for the reality of clients’ problems.

“I think I can handle it,” Thompson said. “I know there’s going to be things I haven’t seen before, but that’s the whole point.”

Many of the law students commute from Lawrence, where they are full-time students at the University. Thomas said although only eight to 10 hours a week at the clinic was required, students often worked overtime.

“They’re excited about what they’re doing,” Thomas said. “They’re very dedicated to our clients and what were doing or they wouldn’t have been here.”

Ellen Jensby, Wichita law student, said the client interaction was something she didn’t get much of in law school. She said she liked working in conjunction with other professionals and helping people deal with a broad scope of issues.

Julie Larson, Prairie Village law student, said being a lawyer was like being a storyteller. She said that by helping people solve their legal problems, she was helping them start a new chapter in their lives.

“I just love meeting people and hearing their stories,” Larson said. “This place is filled with a lot of hope.”

— — Edited by Rachel Burchfield