Christopher Palmese, a senior associate at Seyfarth Shaw LLP, has provided pro bono services to VOLS clients through the VOLS Elderly Project. For National Pro Bono Week, we invited Chris to share his story on how his passion for sharing the importance of life planning has inspired his decision to help seniors.
Why were you initially interested in this type of work with helping seniors obtain their life planning documents?
I worked at the Elder Law Clinic at my law school, and although it wasn’t life planning document work, we thought a lot about the types of things clients should be thinking about at that stage in life.
Unfortunately, people don’t tend to think about the need for life planning documents that much. I think a lot of people have the mentality of, “well, I won’t need them” or “my circumstances don’t require them.” I think a lot of people, and I have even seen this in my personal life, think if they don’t have a lot of assets or significant assets to leave behind, they’ll just sort of let whatever happen. They think that they don’t really need to go through the exercise or spend time or money preparing.
So I searched out organizations that help people draft these documents and came upon VOLS, and thought they had a great program between the initial training and clients served. But importantly, VOLS’ ongoing involvement throughout the process makes it possible to take on matters even though I am not a trusts and estates attorney. With the help of VOLS, our firm allows attorneys from all different practice areas to do this kind of work, which is unusual.
For me, the great thing has been working with VOLS throughout the process and getting their input. VOLS helps to revise and further refine the drafts, which allows a lawyer like me, without a background in trusts and estates, to do this type of important work.
Next, I want to hear a bit more about your experience with volunteering for VOLS. Were there any client interactions that really stood out to you?
I am working right now with a client who is a veteran. When I first started working with her before COVID, we were going to have to meet in person for her to sign her documents. Then COVID happened and I knew that, as a precaution, I could no longer meet her in person. And then, for health reasons, she entered a facility where she has been for several months. As it turns out, we will likely be able to use some of the staff at the facility to help witness her execution of some of these documents and avoid her having to allow a witness or a notary into her home and risk infection. Working with her, especially during the current pandemic, has reminded me of the urgency with which these things should be carried out.
How would you say your experience as an attorney has been enriched by the time you spent volunteering?
Part of why I became an attorney was to help people. It has been so fulfilling for me as an attorney to be able to help someone in such a meaningful and personal way. I know that even if they don’t need to utilize these documents today or tomorrow, I’ve left them in a better place than they were before we worked together.
Ideally, they won’t have to use some of these documents and hopefully it’ll be a number of years before they have to use any of them. Moreover, working in the real estate industry on largely institutional matters, I don’t often get to work with individuals on personal matters and it has been so fulfilling professionally to be able to aid an individual on such a personal level.
As a volunteer, I am making a personal connection with someone that really needs my help and making a difference for them and their families. That is a great feeling.
I know that even if they don’t need to utilize these documents today or tomorrow, I’ve left them in a better place than they were before we worked together.
A lot of law firms offer various different pro bono programs that touch on many different areas, and so, I am wondering if you had a colleague who was a bit on the fence about where to volunteer. What would you say or how would you engage others to pursue a similar line of volunteer opportunities working with the elderly?
I would introduce people to VOLS’s initial training (for which they provide CLE credit!). More importantly, I would want colleagues to know that you do not need to have a background in trusts and estates to competently perform this work. Several of my colleagues were excited about the fact they did not need to have trusts and estates experience to take on these clients because of the fact that VOLS is involved with the representations and provides the support needed to properly represent these clients.
The other interesting thing for many is that these are personal documents that most of us will need or use in our personal lives, whether for ourselves or family members and so this work is relevant to everyone. I think the selling point for a lot of folks that I talked to was that this work is different from what they usually do, yes, but someone from VOLS is going to be there to help us through it. There’s an initial training to introduce us to the topic generally and the forms that our clients will likely require. They give us the forms. They review our drafts. They explain to us what is correct. So you’re never on your own. It’s something that even conversationally we should all be discussing at home in our own lives. I think the relevance of this topic to all of our lives has piqued many peoples’ interest in the subject matter and VOLS’ program has allowed many of us to become involved in a meaningful way.
In light of COVID-19, why do you think this type of work is especially important today?
Unfortunately, COVID has made life planning documents even more urgent for so many people. End of life issues are currently at the forefront of many people’s minds. I think a lot of people have also seen how life can take unexpected turns. In a time when many of us are worried about our health and the health of our loved ones, I think people can gain a little bit of peace of mind knowing that they’ve prepared life-planning documents to make their wishes known to their loved ones and planned for their survivors.
Click here to read more volunteer profiles for National Pro Bono Week.