by Ryan Wenger

During Michigan’s rough economic times, it can be hard for people to afford an attorney. Mel Trotter Ministries and a local group of Christian attorneys are working to help those who are in need of legal help but cannot pay for it.

The attorneys offer a clinic sponsored by the Christian Legal Society on Wednesdays at Mel Trotter Ministries. All 12 of the attorneys involved are volunteers.

One of the attorneys involved is Ronald Foster, a professor in Cornerstone University’s Professional & Graduate Studies (PGS) division. He has been a part of the ministry at Mel Trotter ever since its inception— almost 10 years ago. He works as a coordinator for the program, but is also involved directly in helping people.

“We help indigent people who can’t afford help,” Foster said. “We provide somewhere around $100,000 of service at no cost every year. It really impacts the community.”

The most common cases that they handle involve drug addictions and child custody cases, Foster said.

Mostly, the attorneys give legal advice to those who seek their help. Sometimes, they refer clients to other attorneys and sometimes an attorney will take a person’s case all the way through court, said Foster.

“We offer holistic help,” Foster said. “In one of my favorite cases, the person I was helping became a Christian.”

Since all of the attorneys involved are Christians, and the clinic is part of Mel Trotter, they are free to minister to their clients’ spiritual needs as well as their legal needs.

“I know it’s kind of an oxymoron— Christian attorneys—but it’s true,” Foster said.

Helping out at the clinic also provides Foster with experiences to share in the classroom, he said.

“The program falls under Mel Trotter’s community service division,” Foster said. “The relationship is a big bonus for both us and them. It’s just another aspect of Mel Trotter’s ministry that people don’t know about, and when donors find out, it can make a very good impression.”

The Rev. Michael Soto is the person that oversees the program.

“He’s in charge of community outreach,” Foster said.

The legal clinic is the product of the Grand Rapids chapter of the Christian Legal Society. According to Matt Zimmerman, another attorney involved in the program, the ministry was a result of an initiative by the Christian Legal Society to open legal clinics across the country. Nationally, several other cities have similar clinics sponsored by the society, Foster said.

“A few of the local people though it was a good idea,” Foster said. “Mel Trotter somehow got involved and offered their space.”

Mel Trotter also offers dental, medical, eye care and other types of clinics.

According to an article in the Grand Rapids Legal News, the local chapter of the Christian Legal Society would like to eventually move the clinic to another location and get its own staff through fundraising, as other clinics sponsored by Christian Legal Society around the country have done.