Kristin Riebsomer didn’t love law school, but she did love her internship at a local legal aid office.
“It was really the thing that kept me going,” she said. “My classes Monday through Wednesday were worth it because of the work that I got to do at my internship. It made me realize that law school was for me.”
When the opportunity to work with Legal Aid Society of Greater Cincinnati on their Maternal-Health Law Partnership (M-HeLP) presented itself, Riebsomer jumped at the chance. She knew firsthand the impact stressful situations can have on physical health.
“I saw that so much with the family law clients I was already working with,” she said. “Safety concerns or a nasty divorce were really affecting their overall health and their ability to do the things that they needed to do. This project really clicked for me.”
Through her Justice for All Fellowship, Riebsomer meets with pregnant women at their prenatal appointments to provide help with legal issues such as housing assistance and domestic violence situations. The program works to help ensure healthy pregnancies and babies by alleviating other life problems.
“Being an attorney for low income people is stressful and takes a lot out of you, but the fact that I’m working with such great people, including the clients, it makes it worthwhile,” she said.