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Eric
Sparks
April 2005
Eric Slocum Sparks, a
sole practitioner in
Tucson, has been selected as the Outstanding
Pro
Bono Attorney of the Month for April. Eric
was chosen to receive
this honor by the Volunteer Lawyers Program (VLP). The Pro Bono
Awards
are announced monthly and highlight an attorney
who has made
an extraordinary contribution
toward making legal services available
to
persons who otherwise could not afford them.
Eric has
been a member of the VLP since 1998. The legal assistance that he
provides to the VLP and its clients takes many forms. Eric provides
direct
representation to VLP clients in some of the most complex and
challenging
bankruptcy cases seen by the program. In addition, Eric
has been a frequent
participant in the VLP’s Reaffirmation Clinic.
Eric supervises law students as
they meet with unrepresented clients
at their reaffirmation hearings. The
students review reaffirmation
agreements proposed and presented to the client
by their creditors.
Students then have the opportunity to appear in Court on
behalf of
the client and offer their recommendation as to whether the client
should enter into the agreement. So far, Eric has assisted
thirty-three clients
through the VLP. Although it would have been
appropriate to recognize Eric
for his pro bono efforts at any time,
April seemed especially appropriate
because he recently rearranged
his entire schedule to fill in at the
reaffirmation clinic on very
short notice.
VLP staff
member Mary Beth Pierce noted, “Mr. Sparks is always willing
to share his time and expertise
with those most desperately in need by
volunteering with the VLP. I am often
told by clients at the Reaffirmation
hearings that they feel reassured and much
less apprehensive once they
have spoken with Mr. Sparks. They comment that
without his assistance
they would not have understood the process. He clearly
explains to the
clients what is in their best interest and helps
them protect their rights."
Eric
graduated from the John Marshall Law School in 1972. He was
admitted
to practice that year in Illinois, in Texas in 1981 and in
Arizona in 1991. His
current practice focuses on Bankruptcy,
Corporations, Real Estate and
Commercial Law.
The award will be
presented to Eric at the Annual VLP Awards Luncheon in
November. The
luncheon will be held at the Marriott University Park Hotel.
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Past Pima
County Monthly Award Winners
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