Attorney Lori Buiteweg Featured on Lawyers Who Care with Andrew Samalin

NSSSB Attorney Lori Buiteweg was recently interviewed by Andrew Samalin, for the podcast “Lawyers Who Care.” This podcast highlights attorneys who go above and beyond legal counsel for the benefit of their clients.

At NSSSB, we are committed to giving back, both by volunteering with the state and local bars, and through select low-cost or pro bono legal services. Lori shared with Andrew Samalin two cases of hers that went well beyond the courtroom, and how she helped those clients with their real-world struggles, not just their legal disputes.

Attorney Lori Buiteweg truly is a lawyer who cares. She got into the profession to be an “attorney for the downtrodden” after watching bullying in her local high school. Family law fits with her interests, as a woman with a family of her own. Her interview on the podcast also talks about the need for attorneys to maintain boundaries while showing compassion to clients in need.

You can listen to the podcast here, or read the transcript below. To talk to Lori Buiteweg, or one of our other family law attorneys, click here to schedule a consultation today.

Podcast Transcript

Andrew Samalin:

Welcome to Lawyers Who Care, the video show podcast that highlights attorneys who go above and beyond for their clients. In each episode we’ll meet a new lawyer and they will share stories of when they went above and beyond legal counsel for the benefit of their client. My name is Andrew Samalin. I’m the principal of Samalin Wealth, a nationally recognized wealth management firm for attorneys, law firms and their clients. And let's applaud lawyers who care and learn from them. Today, my guest is Lori Buiteweg. She's an attorney with Nichols and Sacks in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and she focuses on family law. Welcome, Lori.

Lori Buiteweg:

Hi Andy. Thanks for having me.

Andrew Samalin:

It was my pleasure. So, Lori, tell us how you came to your profession.

Lori Buiteweg:

It was a long, long time ago in high school. When I, you know, would see sort of the typical bullying that you see in high school settings. And it just would make me so mad and I really wanted to help the people who can't stand up for themselves for whatever reason. So, I really kind of went into the profession to be a crusader for the downtrodden. <laugh>

Andrew Samalin:

That’s a noble calling. How did you come to your speciality, and what do you specialize in?

Lori Buiteweg:

My first 10 years of practice, I did general civil practice and it, frankly, wasn’t all that fulfilling. And, so, I sought out the firm I’m at now, Nichols, Sack, Slank, Sendelbach, Buiteweg & Soloman (we go by NSSSB because there's so many names) in Ann Arbor Michigan, because all of the attorneys in this firm, A: were women and B: had a really extensive volunteer rate with the local and state bar associations. So, giving back to the profession is something that our firm has historically been very strong in and continues to be. And that's what attracted me to the firm. It so happened that the firm did family law. We’re sort of a boutique firm and that's all we do is family law, and some estate planning. And it turned out to really fit my lifestyle and my interests well. Because I have a family of my own and being able to help other families really resonated with me and has been super fulfilling all these years.

Andrew Samalin:

Got it. And tell me about when we first started today we talked about a couple of stories that sounded very interesting. And we boiled it down to two. And do you wanna start with the one today or do you wanna… let's see how this goes. Tell us about the one…

Lori Buiteweg:

So, you know, when you're an attorney who likes to give back, and gets a lot out of that and feels fulfilled by that, you end up doing a fair amount of what we call pro bono work. Which is where you represent a client without charging them. And, so, I’ve had a number of those cases over the years, some more fulfilling than others. And one in particular, the ones that are really fulfilling are the ones where the clients, even after the case is over, you continue to help them out as they need it. Not necessarily as a lawyer. So with this one particular person, I helped her with a custody situation. And then, many years later, she reached out to me and said that she was being evicted from her apartment. And I tried to negotiate with the landlord and see if I could, you know, get her to be able to stay with reduced rent, or something like that. And the landlord said her apartment is just a mess. We can't keep her there. We’ve gotta get her out. So, she allowed me, reluctantly, to go observe her apartment, see her apartment for myself. And by this point in time, she had some physical disabilities as well. And I, I just couldn't believe what I saw. I couldn't believe somebody could live like that. And so, one of my associates and I spent several weekends just hauling trash out, using steam cleaning on the floor, and trying to repair things that were broken. It was absolutely awful, but it worked and they didn’t charge her a security deposit fee. So… <laughs>

Andrew Samalin:

It's funny that’s almost like the tip of the iceberg. It is a tell for other issues going on, you know, with the client. Yeah?

Lori Buiteweg:

Oh yeah. And you know, to this day I remain her conservator. She's on social security disability. So, I receive her monthly income and help dole it out to her in a way that makes sure that she always has a roof over her head and food in the refrigerator. So, um, yeah. It's not easy saying no to somebody when they want something that's discretionary, but at least she's had stable housing for some years now.

Andrew Samalin:

That's wonderful, thank you for that. And there was another story that was a little bit more lighthearted <laugh> I really liked that one too, as a parent, by the way, to two children.

Lori Buiteweg:

Yeah. Right. So this one was another pro bono case. I represented a dad who had five children and for various reasons, these children ended up in the foster care system. So I helped him over the course of a couple of years to get them out of the foster care system and back living with him.

And then once his case was over, you know, he continued to reach out to me when he needed things, whatever it was. And my whole family would say, “Hey, could this person use this?” Because they knew I had this client that was needy. We gave furniture, mattresses, food at Thanksgiving time, hand me down clothing. He had a lot of boys and I have boys. So, his kids wore my kids' clothing to school for several years. <laugh> Things like that.

Well, he eventually had some health issues. And there was one point where he was in the hospital. And I was working at my desk one day and I got a phone call from the local middle school. And I thought, “My kids aren’t in middle school anymore. Why am I getting a call?” It turned out to be the principal of the middle school asking why this person’s children didn’t show up for school that day. And I thought, “How does she even have my number?” I mean, it turns out he had put me on his emergency card for his kids at school and I didn't even know about it. So I said, “Well, let me look into it.”

So I called him and he didn't answer, obviously because he was in the hospital. So, I called one of his friends and they said, “Oh yeah, he's in the hospital. I stayed with the kids overnight, but I had to go to work and they were being little jerks, and they wouldn’t get on the bus. So, they’re home.” So I thought, “Alright, I’m headed over.” <laughs> So, I did. I headed over and told the kids, “You guys are going to school. You're not gonna use the fact your dad's in the hospital as an excuse to skip. I had a nice long chat with them on the way to school about how education is the single best road out of poverty. I kind of lectured them about, do you wanna live this life forever, or do you wanna get out and have it easier?

I actually just got a message from this particular person, former client, about two weeks ago saying how great all his kids are doing. And I don't attribute this to me taking them on one particular day, he’s a great dad. But they are doing really well. One of them has graduated and is employed. Another one is about to graduate and is working. Almost all the kids are working at this point, in addition to going to school and doing well in school. So it's a huge success story. And I, it’s just, it's a real feel good, you know. <laugh>

Andrew Samalin:

Yeah, that’s great. They don't teach that in law school, do they?

Lori Buiteweg:

No, we did not have a class on how to uber your former client’s children to school. <laugh>

Andrew Samalin:

It wasn’t even elective, forget about a core course, ya know? <laugh>

Lori Buiteweg:

Right! And in fact, it’s kind of, when you start doing these things that are above and beyond you kind of, I mean, you kind of feel a little awkward right? I mean, there's professional boundaries and it takes some years to figure out when it's okay to, you know, help people out on a more personal level. And of course you can't do it for everybody, but the people who try really hard, who really want to cooperate and do better, and all that you just feel compelled to help however you can.

Andrew Samalin:

That's right and that's obvious, and I'm sure that'll stay with them for the rest of their lives. Just so everyone knows, today my guest is Lori Buiteweg. She's an attorney with Nicholas Sacks in Ann Arbor, Michigan. She focuses on family law. Lori, so that we can get in touch with you, can you give us your phone number?

Lori Buiteweg:

Yes. 734-994-3000.

Andrew Samalin:

Great. And the web address, and can they find you on social media?

Lori Buiteweg:

The web address is NSSSB.com, that's three S’s. And on social media I’m on Twitter @LoriBuitweg. That's probably the best place to find my professional feed.

Andrew Samalin:

Got it, you wanna spell it?

Lori Buiteweg:

@ L O R I B U I T E W E G

Andrew Samalin:

Got it. Thank you so much, Lori. So again, this has been the Lawyers Who Care podcast, which is a video show podcast that highlights attorneys who go above and beyond for their clients. Lori is a perfect example of that. I'd like to thank you again today for joining us, Lori. AndI'd like, thank everyone for watching today.

Lori Buiteweg:

Thank you. Have a good one.

Andrew Samalin:

And you too.

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