This summer, WashU Law’s Summer Volunteer Estate Planning Clinic, directed by Professor Sarah Narkiewicz, provided free estate planning services to ten clients, with help from WashU Law student volunteers and attorneys from the community.
The clinic serves low- and moderate-income clients who might not otherwise be able to afford these essential services. The clinic prepares four documents that work together to protect them and their families: a will, which directs who receives their property and names someone to carry out their wishes; a financial power of attorney, which lets a trusted person manage their finances if they become unable to; a durable power of attorney for health care, which names someone to make medical decisions if they cannot speak for themselves; and a health care directive, which records their wishes for medical treatment, including end-of-life care. The clinic also assists clients with preparing beneficiary deeds.
Without these documents, families dealing with a serious illness or death may need to go to court to handle a loved one’s finances or medical decisions, which can be costly and time-consuming.
The clinic also helps address a common issue in St. Louis: tangled titles. When a homeowner dies without a will or other estate planning documents, their property often does not pass cleanly to their heirs. Without clear legal title, heirs may have difficulty selling, refinancing, or insuring the home, or qualifying for repair assistance.
The work also offered valuable learning for the students. Family circumstances do not always fit neatly into legal forms. Students had to translate complicated family situations into clear and legally sound documents. This required both technical skill and thoughtful client communication. Students learned to listen carefully, ask sensitive questions with care, and respect each client’s wishes, including in conversations about illness, loss, and family relationships. Along the way, they developed compassion and judgment that will serve them well in their future practices.
Volunteer 2L student Sue Kim said meeting with clients was what made the work meaningful: “Volunteering in the estate planning clinic gave me hands-on experience I couldn’t get in the classroom. Working alongside an experienced attorney, I saw how to turn a client’s wishes into practical, well-structured documents, and receiving guidance on issues like choosing agents and planning for contingencies was invaluable. Meeting with our client was the highlight: listening to her concerns about her family and learning how to translate them into clear legal options made the work feel meaningful. Using software to customize the documents also taught me how technology can make drafting more efficient, while still requiring careful attorney judgment. I left the clinic more committed to serving clients who might not otherwise have access to these services.”
Other students found the clinic valuable for a different reason. Kris Vaswig, a 3L volunteer said: “I am so glad I participated in the Volunteer Estate Planning Clinic. It was a great opportunity to explore an unfamiliar area of law in a hands-on way. Grounding the substance in real issues and strategies made the (bar!) material much easier to learn, and directly interacting with clients who benefited from our work was incredibly rewarding.”
“Working with this clinic is always a meaningful way to connect to members of our St. Louis community, and also to work with the best and brightest future lawyers,” said attorney Dan Julius, of Stock Legal, who volunteers with the clinic. “It’s my pleasure to participate every year.” Another volunteer attorney, Kurt Schmid, said “I really enjoyed working with the students on communicating with clients. Helping the students obtain the information we needed while caring about the clients’ concerns at the same time is what it is all about.” Christin Doyle of Hepler Broom added: “This experience was a humbling reminder of the good we can do when we use our gifts to serve others. Helping clinic clients plan for their families, while mentoring future attorneys, gave me a deep sense of gratitude and purpose. I couldn’t have been more proud of my students or more thankful for the clients we had the honor to serve.”
Volunteer attorneys Christin Doyle of HeplerBroom, Keith Grissom of Armstrong Teasdale, Raina Payne of Sanberg Phoenix, and Samuel Zachry of Kemball,Woods & Martinsen also participated in the clinic.
