Drake Law School is dedicated to giving back to the community. This dedication was shown in early September when Drake Law School students, alumni, faculty, and staff volunteered their time and legal expertise to help the less fortunate as part of Operation Stand Down.
Stand Down, which is sponsored by the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars, provides assistance to veterans and non-veterans who are homeless or at risk of being homeless and is called Stand Down after the military term which means rest and a period of safety for those returning from combat. One form of assistance provided through the event was legal services, giving Drake Law School an opportunity to give back.
Nicole Rommero, Audra Deiber, Jeremy Masterson, and John Gish, all Drake Law third-year students were joined by Tayler Haggerty, Alexis Rowe, and David Albrecht, Drake Law first-year students to provide legal services. Masterson stated “As a veteran myself, it was great to help those that need it the most. Stand Down was a fantastic showing of what can be accomplished when great people get together for a great cause and I was glad that I, along with my classmates, could participate. Being able to use my skills learned at Drake Law to give back to the community was extremely rewarding and something that I look forward to helping with again in the future.”
Albrecht expanded on this sentiment. “Being part of Operation Stand Down allowed me an early preview of how what we are learning in the classroom can be used to benefit those in need. An example but was a gentleman who was homeless working part-time and who had specific questions about paychecks and taxes. It was amazing to watch him work with the student volunteers as you could almost see the worry fall off his shoulders as his questions were answered. It was a humbling and great experience.”
For more information on public service at Drake Law School, visit www.law.drake.edu/academics/?pageID=publicService.