The importance of doing volunteer work in the field of law
28 January 2023
When the lecturer or professor comes into your university on the first day of your studies, and asks you why you are studying law, one of the most common answers is that lawyers make a lot of money. A lot of young people are attracted to it due to the income that it could help you earn. However, to become the best lawyer you can be, volunteering is an important avenue to consider. It isn’t just about becoming a better lawyer; volunteering is a multi-faceted avenue and, therefore, has its importance tied to the organization for which you are volunteering as well as the community that you are helping out. As such, volunteering, in general as well as in the legal industry, can have a three-dimensional approach. Therefore, we shall have a look at the importance of volunteering in the legal industry through these three lenses: why it is important to you as a lawyer, to the organization you are volunteering with, and to the community you will be reaching out.
Understanding Volunteerism
“Volunteers do not necessarily have the time; they have the heart.” This beautiful quote by Elizabeth Andrews captures what volunteerism is in a very direct sense.
What needs to be understood here is that volunteering is not about making money, and usually you won’t have the time to fit a volunteering gig into your busy schedule. In the end, volunteering is a business of the heart. It is a passion to do good. It is an encouragement to serve others. It is a testament to the good in all of us. This is why volunteer roles are usually incorporated into projects with a huge amount of community engagement, community service, and community development. This is a crucial aspect of volunteering that needs to be understood before venturing further. This could be considered a foundation for understanding the importance of volunteerism, as all that is to come will be connected to how much you will be helping your community thrive and become a better place.
When it comes to the legal industry, this could come about in the form of a community project focused on solving legal issues such as access to legal advice and legal resources, or it could be about solving societal problems through legal avenues and tools. This could range from helping change the community attitudes toward stigmatized issues to giving your voluntary service to a non-governmental organization that is trying to raise awareness on certain aspects of the profession for the advancement of the legal community.
Why volunteering should be important for you
As a lawyer or as a student of law, the importance of volunteerism stems from the benefits that it can give you. One of the most important benefits it can give you is that it gives you an opportunity to use your legal skills in a different setting, which will then help you build your skillset further.
The scope of the project or the organization for which you are volunteering may also be different from that of the work that you are doing as a lawyer. It can help you gain more knowledge of the inner workings of the community and become familiar with a new area of law.
As a law student, volunteering can help you gain perspective on how to practice law since the legal industry is a very practical field, and a few early practices may help you get your grips on things when starting your career. Such an experience can also help you gain an added advantage in the job market.
Aside from this, getting involved in volunteer work can also be helpful for your health, and be a source of happiness.
How volunteers are an essential part of organizations
For organizations involved in community service and community development, such volunteers are a boost for their work. If we look at most of these organizations involved in the community, what you will usually find is they do not have the capacity to fund a work force with a paycheck. Therefore, human resources well versed in a technical area which is needed for the running of the organization and its projects is vital for the success of the projects.
How volunteering impacts the community
Conclusion
The law is something that encompasses and has its hand in every aspect of the community. Legal community services, development projects and initiatives can be utilized to bring important change to the community. Therefore, it is important that all of us, at some point or another, work as volunteers to uplift and advance our community.
Editorial Team
