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Jenny Dent
2005 Student
Leadership Award
Jenny is a second-year law student
who began volunteering
in the VLP Advocates Child Support
Project during her first
year of law school. Last summer,
during a transitional
period for the VLP Advocates
Program, Jenny was selected
as student coordinator and
immediately recruited 25 of her
law school classmates to
volunteer. Over the summer, due
largely to Jenny’s direction and
leadership, 26 law students
donated 403 hours to help 245
people, which is equivalent
to $16,120 in donated services.
Ultimately, under Jenny’s
leadership, the summer of 2005 was,
unequivocally, the most successful
summer in the Program’s history.
Jenny is pictured receiving her award from
Justice Rebecca White Berch.
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Lindsay St. John
2005 Outstanding Law Student
Lindsay is a third
year law student who has volunteered
with the VLP since
her first semester of law school in 2003. For two years, she
coordinated the VLP Advocates Program
and served as the
student liaison for the Domestic Relations
Clinic and the
Bankruptcy Court Project. During her tenure
as coordinator,
Lindsay’s take-charge attitude and tremendous energy and drive
were vital to the
success of the program. Las spring, in addition to participating
on a team that
secured funding for the VLP Advocates, Lindsay was one of three
law students who
launched the Guardianship Project, a pilot program that
facilitates
children’s access to safe shelter, education, and necessary medical
care. Throughout
her law school career, Lindsay has worked tirelessly for the low
income in our
community through the VLP Advocates Program. Lindsay is
pictured receiving
her award from Justice Rebecca White Berch.
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Jacqueline
Lanni
2004 Outstanding Law Student
Jackie is
a third year law student at the University of Arizona James E.
Rogers
College of Law. Jackie has volunteered with the VLP Advocates
Program
throughout law school. She has participated in all of the VLP
clinics, providing
clients with advice and brief service. In addition, Jackie spent
the summer and
fall of 2004 working with VLP Chapter 7 bankruptcy clients. Jackie
has a
commitment to helping those less fortunate that was evident to
everyone she
worked with. Her selection for this award was unanimous among the VLP staff.
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Heather Strickland
2003 Outstanding
Law Student
Heather
was selected to receive this award as a third year law student at
the
University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law. Heather
volunteered with
the VLP Advocates Program throughout law school. She participated
in all three
VLP clinics, providing clients with advice and brief service. In
addition, Heather
dedicated the summer and fall of 2003 to working with clients who
attended the
Chapter 7 Bankruptcy Clinic. Heather has a commitment to helping
those most
in need that was apparent to the entire VLP staff. Heather
is currently working in
Tucson with the law firm of
Karp Heurlin &
Weiss, PC.
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Nichole Bunker-Henderson
2002 Outstanding
Law Student
Nichole was selected to receive this award as a second year law
student at the
University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law. Nichole
assisted the
VLP with the coordination of law student involvement in the VLP.
During 2002,
sixty law students participated in three VLP clinics. In addition
to her
coordination work, Nichole spent the summer of 2002 working with the
VLP
Chapter 7 Bankruptcy Clinic. Nichole consistently demonstrated
professional
skill and sensitivity in handing her work while at the same time
never wavering
from her commitment to serve the public.
Nichole
is missed by the VLP and by the many people whose lives she touched
throughout the Tucson community during her law school career.
However, she
has become an invaluable asset to the Texas Attorney Generals Office
and to
the city of Austin where she resides and continues her public
service work.
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Sarah Britton
2001
Outstanding Law Student
Sarah was
selected to receive this honor as a second year law student at the
University of Arizona. Sarah dedicated the summer and fall of 2002
to working
with the Volunteer Lawyers Program. She was critical to the
organization of the
VLP’s Domestic Relations Pilot Project. With Sarah’s assistance,
the VLP was
able to help one hundred and forty-one clients calculate their child
support at
domestic default hearings during the summer.
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Shannon Locke
2000
Outstanding Law Student
Shannon volunteered in the VLP Advocate Clinics
throughout his time in law school. Shannon was one of
a select group of students to volunteer to participate in
the VLP Child Support Court Project when the program
was a pilot. Working under pressure during domestic
default hearings to assist
clients with support
calculations, Shannon demonstrated both legal skill and
compassion for clients. Both clients and staff enjoyed
working with Shannon.
Today Shannon continues his public service work as an attorney for
the Pima
County Attorneys Office in Tucson. He is pictured above
receiving his award
from Justice Feldman.
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Kelly Clarke
1999
Outstanding Law Student
Kelly is a law student at the University of Denver who spent
the summer of 1999 working with the Volunteer Lawyers
Program. In her short time with the VLP, Kelly made a
lasting impact on the
program. She conducted a study of
the Domestic Relations
Clinics, collecting data from
attorneys and clients. The student
produced valuable
recommendations to improve client services.
Kelly also
assisted clients in the Chapter 7 bankruptcy clinic,
helped
to research and write grants, and initiated an underwriting
campaign for a recognition event. Kelly’s enthusiasm for her work
and her sense
of humor endeared her both to clients and the VLP
staff.
Kelly currently
resides
in Raleigh, North Carolina where she practices
law.
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Stacy Rupprecht Butler
1998
Outstanding Student Volunteer
Stacy
began her involvement with the VLP during the
summer of 1998, before her senior year of college. During
that time Stacy
assisted the Volunteer Lawyers Program
with pro bono
recruitment and client placement. Stacy
also wrote press
releases. Her exceptional communication
skills resulted in
numerous articles being published about
the VLP, including a
feature in the Arizona Daily Star.
For her tireless efforts and
commitment to the program Stacy was named the
Outstanding Student Volunteer for 1998.
After
graduation Stacy returned to Tucson to attend the James E. Rogers
College of Law. During her first semester of law school she joined
the
Community Service board and began talking to the VLP and the law
school about
a joint project. As a result of her efforts, the Volunteer Lawyers
Program and the
James E. Rogers College of Law formed a partnership, VLP Advocates,
to help
provide legal services to those Pima County Residents most in need
of civil legal
help. To date, more than 300 law students have volunteered with the
VLP.
Stacy is
now a member of the law firm, DeConcini McDonald Yetwin & Lacy,
P.C. Immediately upon joining the firm, Stacy signed up to
participate in the
VLP, this time as an attorney. Her current involvement has included
direct
representation in domestic relations cases, participation in law
student raining,
and providing support and assistance to VLP staff.
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Theresa Klosterman
1997 Outstanding
Law Student
Theresa
dedicated an enormous amount of time to producing a study of the
Volunteer Lawyers Program. The purpose of study was to enlarge the
pool of pro
bono attorneys and increase volunteer satisfaction. Guiding the
evaluation was
two broad research questions: Are VLP attorneys satisfied with the
program?
What factors are affecting other attorneys from Participating in the
VLP? In
order to gather this information, Theresa circulated surveys to all
attorneys in
Pima County. The program evaluation was a massive undertaking and
elicited
valuable information for the program. Theresa’s efforts were
appreciated by the
staff and recognized by the program when Theresa was selected to
receive the
first ever Outstanding Law Student Volunteer Award in 1997.
During
law school, Theresa also served as a member of Southern Arizona
Legal
Aid’s Board of Directors.
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