At McDowell Knight, we consider it a privilege and an essential part of our mission to serve not only our clients, but in the community in which we live. Our lawyers give back through a number of non-profit and charitable efforts, ranging from the South Alabama Volunteer Lawyers program, which provides legal assistance to low-income individuals, to L’Arche Mobile, which helps those with intellectual disabilities live full lives in the community.
Partner Bill Roedder has served on the Board of Directors and the Finance Committee of L’Arche Mobile for 15 years, but says it’s the personal interaction with those the organization is meant to serve which means the most to him.
“Each year I take a group for a day-long boat outing. Because of their intellectual and physical limitations, they don’t often get a chance to enjoy the outdoors. You should see their eyes light up and their attitudes brighten when they are throwing bait to the seagulls, pelicans and osprey and watching the birds dive for the bait or catching it in the air before it hits the water. They also have a ball honking the horn, waving, and smiling to everyone we pass by. Others at the marina and on passing boats also seem to get caught up in the moment and come visit with us.”
– Partner Bill Roedder
Roedder and others in the firm volunteer for L’Arche events, donate food for holiday dinners, and participate in other ways, as well.
Beyond L’Arche Mobile, our lawyers are active in a host of non-profit organizations in the community assisting youth, the elderly, the underserved and supporting access to community entities like the cultural arts.