Today we’d like to introduce you to Bruce Strom.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I am a lawyer. I built a great practice with multiple locations. I believe in God. Different people will describe faith experiences differently, but my experience was a clear call to leave private practice to serve the poor by establishing a legal aid organization called Administer Justice. I did that in 2002. Over the next decade, Administer Justice grew to several location sites serving thousands of individuals in need of help and hope each year. I wrote a book called Gospel Justice which was published by Moody in 2013. The book tells the stories of our neighbors who do not have access to justice. Most people don’t realize we rank 97th in the world for providing affordable access to justice. 1 in 3 Americans cannot afford an attorney and only those charged with a crime have the right to a free lawyer. For many not being able to meet with an attorney has disastrous consequences. Seeing the growing gap in access to justice, I spun off a national organization to establish sites across Chicago and the nation in 2014. That organization called Gospel Justice Initiative now has 75 location sites. I believe every person is created by God with infinite worth. Today, I invite thousands of lawyers and other volunteers to use their skills to serve neighbors in need. We have all the tools and resources to help a community provide legal aid assistance. All a lawyer needs to do is say yes and we will come alongside them for life-changing impact.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I have started and run a profitable business and two not for profit businesses. Not for profits are significantly harder. Running a not for profit is not a smooth road. The first HUGE obstacle was money. Lawyers send out bills – big ones. Not for profits fundraise. Those are dramatically different worlds. Other obstacles included organizational structure to support all the extra reporting that not for profits are required to do. Of course, my first BIG mistake was trying to raise money for lawyers – who wants to donate to support a lawyer? While the funds did support a lawyer, I had to understand that service is all about neighbors trapped in a complex, crazy legal system. People will support getting help for a veteran, single mom, working dad or elderly grandparent. I made a lot of other mistakes along the way as I tried to figure out how to make complex legal issues simple. After almost two decades of hard work, I arrived. We have an easy, no-cost process, to open and support a community-based legal aid ministry. Someone else doesn’t have to figure out the challenges of running a not for profit. They operate under our umbrella. They don’t have to reinvent the wheel – we’ve done the heavy lifting. Someone just needs to have a heart for helping people caught in legal struggles. As they donate their time, people are amazed. They view lawyers differently and are able to see a way through the daunting legal circumstances they are in. We don’t do everything for them, like a traditional law. We learned it was best to empower people with information and coaching so they could contribute to the resolution of their problems. The results are amazing.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Gospel Justice Initiative – what should we know?
We exist to transform communities through legal, spiritual and social help and hope for neighbors in need. We have a passion for individual and community life transformation. We don’t view people as problems to be solved or projects to be fixed, but God-created individuals with infinite potential. We free people from the legal burdens that would prevent them from flourishing while supporting them socially and spiritually. No one needs to agree with our faith perspective for service, but we let them know that we believe in a God who loves them. We believe we are all broken and therefore our lawyers are no better than the person they are serving. We simply have a special degree that allows us to enter into someone’s world as one neighbor helping another neighbor. Our people serve because they care. They don’t make money – they make a difference. That makes us different from other legal service providers.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Humility. We are adaptive, professional, results-driven servants.
Pricing:
- Clients only pay a one-time $30 administrative fee
Contact Info:
- Address: Gospel Justice Initiative
1750 Grandstand Place, Suite 1
Elgin, IL 60123 - Website: www.gji.org
- Phone: 855-818-4554
- Email: bruce@gji.org
- Facebook: gospel justice initiative
- Twitter: @gospel_justice
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