Terry Waite is a Legal Aid of Nebraska Board Member in North Platte
What brought you to Legal Aid?
To give credit where credit is due, a better response would be “WHO Brought You To Legal Aid.” First was Prof. Peter Hoffman, through his civil clinical program at UNL Law College beginning in May of 1976 when, with Peter’s guidance and zealous advocacy, I obtained a relatively large award of child support for an African American lady. Dorothy and her six children had never received child support. Tracking down and recreating the income for the father of those six children took months. Peter was kind enough to let me stay on and finish the case through the trial.
Further giving credit where due, accepting Judge Piester’s invitation to join him on the Board of Directors years ago was an easy choice.
How have you helped Legal Aid create equal justice?
Seeing the impact that single case had on the lives of Dorothy and her six children inspired me to continue to contribute to Legal Aid by serving on its Board of Directors.
What difference have you seen happen because of Legal Aid?
Legal Aid is the haven of last resort for those confronted by overwhelming legal and other problems. I have seen dedicated Legal Aid attorneys do countless times for all of their clients what I did for that single client nearly a half century ago.
Why is Legal Aid important?
Legal Aid provides a safe haven for the unfortunate. Moreover, it gives lawyers a chance to achieve what many of us joined our profession to accomplish, ie. service to others.
There is an old Chinese Proverb: “If you want happiness for an hour, take a nap. If you want happiness for a day, go fishing. If you want happiness for a year, inherit a fortune. If you want happiness for a lifetime, help somebody.”
And to also quote Winston Churchill: “We make a living by what we do… We make a life by what we give…”
