We’ve all heard the usual “lawyer jokes.” Ones like: Q) Why do laboratories use both lawyers and white rats in experiments? A) There are some things a white rat just won’t do.

Unflattering stuff to say the least.

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So, how about this one? Two lawyers leave their careers at high brow firms to help lower income families in need of legal aid. Well, the funny part is, it’s not a joke. About this time last year, attorneys Ken Koonce and John Greenan did just that, and they are very serious about their decision.

Headquartered at Central Dallas Ministries in Old East Dallas, both men have solid legal backgrounds and diplomas from top law schools (Greenan graduated magna cum laude from the University of Minnesota while Koonce received his law degree from Pepperdine where he graduated cum laude). With that, it may seem strange that both abandoned lucrative salaries and upscale offices for a more modest setting. Their operation, the Urban Justice Center, was developed and is underwritten by Central Dallas Ministries.

“It was all their idea,” says Koonce. “But it just happened that John and myself were coming out of similar backgrounds. We were both interested in the concept, which was providing legal services to the poor just as it does educational and health services.”

The ideal was certainly novel. It seems that when most people think about charitable causes, thoughts of food and clothing drives come to mind. Both Koonce and Greenan agree that few expect legal aid to be a necessity for most lower income individuals.

“Most people think of legal services to be a luxury or as optional,” says Greenan. “The truth is that if you have legal problem and you do not know how to approach it, it can become daunting and as much of a roadblock in your life as a health issue.”

Both Koonce and Greenan became involved with Central Dallas Ministries earlier last year. Koonce, himself, had been a frequent volunteer there in other capacities and was thrilled when the concept of the Urban Justice Center was presented to him. Greenan was also excited by the possibilities especially since such a project was one of his immediate goals after law school.

“When I first went to law school, I really intended to work for the poor,” he says. “Then, I became concerned about money, taking care of my family. The attraction of being with a bigger firm drew me away from it for a while. Then, I just got to a point in my life when I was ready to go back and do what I set out to do.”

The first year behind them, both men have found the experience quite rewarding on a variety of levels. Not only are they able to help financially challenged families and individuals, but they’re also able to work with each client on a more personal level.

Likewise, it’s also been a challenge.

In many instances, both Greenan and Koonce face language barriers and facets of the law that they hadn’t encountered previously. “We had kind of a learning curve,” says Greenan. “In some ways, it was like starting over for both of us. Another thing that’s surprised us is the sheer diversity of problems that people had to deal with. It entails a lot of research, getting forms together, getting advice from people experienced in certain areas. Basically, a lot more work when you’re out of the comfort zone of a law firm.”

The cases the pair juggle include housing issues, custody battles, government benefits and misdemeanor criminal work, among others. The best part of the job? According to Koonce, it’s the simple fact of being able to help somebody. He says that so often, even the most minor problems can be intimidating to the average person. So quickly alleviating stress or worry is certainly one of the job’s top rewards.

“It feels good when you help somebody,” he says. “Some problems that seem scary to people are the easiest to resolve. It’s very satisfying when you can just answer questions, solve problems and make people feel better about a situation.”

Face it, lawyers like this just ruins all the good jokes. We’ll have to rely on the presidential candidate debates.