“Raising the Bar” in Barstow

Law students take Justice Bus trip to rural community

by Meghan Grim ’13
photos by Cynthia Luna

At the tail end of the USC Gould School of Law’s spring break -- a sacred time usually reserved for outlining, panicking and/or relaxing, and soaking up what little amount of sanity we can muster to propel us through final exams -- 12 students decided to venture to Barstow, Calif., on the first USC Law “Justice Bus” trip.

Not being a California native, I knew nothing about Barstow (except that it is the halfway point between Los Angeles and Las Vegas). I learned that it is home to a greatly underserved population with a large number of residents living at or below the federal poverty level, far from any legal nonprofit that could assist them.

The Justice Bus Project is the only “on the ground” project in California that brings together nonprofit legal organizations, law schools and the private legal sector to transport legal professionals and students from the urban areas where they work and live to rural areas of the state, where thousands of Californians face pressing legal needs.

While most of California’s law schools and law firms are located in and around major cities, the highest poverty densities are found in the Central Valley, near the border with Nevada, and in the far north of the state. As a result, these areas lack the legal resources they need.

In Barstow, we were trained in client interviewing, and we were exposed to a variety of legal issues -- guardianship, domestic violence, medical malpractice and bankruptcy, to name a few.

The group cohesion and bonding was an incredible experience, as these were arguably the most intelligent, capable, and caring students I have encountered during my time at USC.

I should mention that we were also fed frequently, experienced “award-winning margaritas” as we rehashed client tales at the end of the day, and concluded the weekend with more client interviewing experience than some students come across during their three years in law school.

The Justice Bus is worth the weekend. It’s a refreshing experience to take your nose out of a book for a few days to remember how the law can truly make a difference.