VLJ is pleased to announce Mark Heinzelmann as the March Volunteer of the Month.
Mark started volunteering at VLJ’s Tenancy Clinic soon after starting as an associate in the environmental group at Lowenstein Sandler. Although the clinic is designed to give limited advice to some of Essex County’s most vulnerable tenants, attorneys can choose to stay with a case afterwards. Mark has made that decision on multiple occasions, proving his dedication to legal justice. The results for VLJ clients on cases he’s worked have been overwhelmingly positive.
One client Mark helped is “Bill.” Bill was living in an illegal apartment when he received an eviction notice. He had health issues stemming from his military service and was very apprehensive about going to court alone. Realizing that Bill would need additional assistance, Mark decided to take his case for full representation—helping Bill file a lawsuit for damages and through multiple eviction actions.
Most recently, the court declared that Bill could not be evicted unless the landlord paid to relocate him and dismissed the eviction action with prejudice. The win let Bill stay in his apartment through the winter.
For Mark, getting to meet with individual clients like Bill is a big plus of doing pro bono work; being able to use his skill as an attorney “to give back to real people who need help, who can’t do these things on their own” is rewarding. In addition to volunteering with VLJ, Mark has also represented victims of domestic violence through Partners for Women and Justice and has done pro bono criminal work with the New Jersey Office of the Public Defender.
His volunteerism provides a nice balance for Mark, whose main practice involves advising corporate clients on environmental regulations. Mark realizes it’s not only VLJ’s clients who benefit from pro bono work, which is why he’s quick to recommend volunteering to new attorneys. As Mark says, “pro bono work provides growth as an attorney and a rewarding feeling from doing this work.”