糖心Vlog传媒

糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock graduate establishes nonprofit law firm

A graduate of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock William H. Bowen School of Law partnered with a like-minded associate to create one of the few nonprofit law firms in central Arkansas. 鈥淢y dad said he always knew I鈥檇 be an attorney,鈥� Angela Echols said. 鈥淪ince I was a kid, I鈥檝e been able to strategically formulate arguments.鈥� Echols graduated from the law school in 1999, and her career has flourished. 鈥淢y partner, Emily Reynolds, and I met one day for lunch and we talked about our interests and why we chose to get into the practice,鈥� Echols said. 鈥淲e both saw the need to bridge the gap between costly legal services and the people who were turned away because they couldn鈥檛 afford them.鈥� With a total of 23 years of experience between the two, Echols and Reynolds decided to start , located in Hot Springs. 鈥淲hen I started out in a for-profit law firm, I was charging $200 an hour, making more than $30 every 10聽minutes,鈥� Echols said. 鈥淚 had to turn away almost three-fourths of the people that needed my services because they couldn鈥檛 afford it.鈥� At Accessible Legal Services, costs are determined on a sliding scale based on a person’s income and the number of residents living in his or her household. Thanks to grant funding, instead of paying $200 an hour, clients are now able to afford legal services for about $50 a month. 鈥淭he only reason we have now to turn down a client is if we don鈥檛 have the skill set they鈥檙e looking for,鈥� Echols said. No longer concerned about how much money she makes, Echols said her only goal is to bring hope to her clients. 鈥淥ver the years, my mindset transitioned,鈥� she said. 鈥淚鈥檓 no longer after the money. I鈥檝e had so many clients come into my office saying they feel hopeless, and that鈥檚 what I鈥檓 here to change.鈥� An incident that aided in Echols鈥� decision to start her own practice involved a client she thought聽wasn鈥檛 being treated fairly. 鈥淎 woman who suffered from a drug addiction had to go into an inpatient drug rehabilitation program and because of that, the Department of Human Services took custody of her children,鈥� Echols said. 鈥淎lthough she had a court-appointed attorney, she wasn鈥檛 getting any significant results toward reunification of her children, even though she was in complete compliance with her case plan.鈥� Instead of letting the situation play out, Echols decided to take the case. 鈥淥nce I agreed to assist her, she almost immediately began receiving increased visitation with her children,鈥� Echols said. 鈥淪he needed someone to advocate for her, and once someone became her advocate, her hard work towards reunification was recognized.鈥� Echols thinks that if she hadn鈥檛 helped that client, the woman wouldn鈥檛 have been able to see her children again. After having children of her own, Echols found herself taking on a more spiritual mindset, which helped聽direct her path. Before she started her own firm, she was the director of the Hope Movement, a Christian nonprofit organization that focuses on the care of children and adults living in need. Although she no longer serves in the director role, she continues to provide legal services for the organization. Outside of her firm, Echols works as a co-facilitator of the Getting Ahead program at the Garland County Detention Center, where she also leads a life-skills course. As Echols continues to expand her reach, she hopes to build relationships and attract young, up-and-coming law students with the mindset to make a change in the community. Ultimately, her goal is to build her clientele and open multiple nonprofit law firms throughout the state. For more information, contact Echols at 501.239.850