March 2017
By: Paula Hernandez
“In the early 2000s, an American drama series aired on television called The Guardian. In the show, the protagonist Nick Fallin is a corporate attorney sentenced to 1,500 hours of community services with Legal Services of Pittsburgh as a result of a drug conviction. The legal service office is run by Alvin Masterson, a working man’s lawyer who plays by the rules, and is determined to keep Nick honest. I remember binge-watching this show while in law school and being enthralled with Alvin Masterson’s scrupulous ideals and how his passion for the voiceless and impoverished seemed to be engrained in his body and soul.
Recently, I had the incredible opportunity to meet Michael H. White – my own “Alvin Masterson” – not in Pittsburg, or Los Angeles, but in Riverside, California. On September 1, 2016, Michael H. White was appointed to be the executive director of Riverside Legal Aid (also known as the Public Service Law Corp. of the RCBA). Michael is a man who has worn many hats – he is a lawyer who has practiced in a wide array of fields; a professor at both traditional and online schools; a mediator for over 25 years who is frequently called upon to mediate or arbitrate issues; and, a leader and founder of non-profit and for-profit organizations. But aside from his noticeably impressive resume, what captivated me the most was Michael’s warm, quiet aura, his humble attitude over his accomplishments and his emphasis on the Riverside Legal Aid, not himself. I could sense some discomfort from so much attention on him, and I later discovered that he had only agreed to this article being written about him to bring more awareness to Riverside Legal Aid. And so, I promised him that this article would do exactly that. ”
To read the rest of the article, click here. (Page 22)