By Stacy Rupprecht Butler

                                               

Sandy Hansen has been

selected as the Outstanding

Pro Bono Attorney of the Month

for January.  Sandy is a public

lawyer and not able to provide

direct representation to pro bono

clients.  Nevertheless, she has

found a way to utilize her

considerable skills on behalf

of those most in need in our

community.  Volunteering in the VLP’s Child Support Clinic, Sandy is able to

provide legal assistance to children and their parents.  In the Clinic Sandy

supervises law students as they calculate child support for pro per litigants,

many of whom are victims of domestic violence.  In addition to the assistance

that Sandy provides to the clients, she serves as a wonderful mentor to the law

students.  The VLP’s monthly award is a distinct honor: of the 1220 attorneys

who volunteer their time with VLP, only 12 receive the VLP’s Outstanding Pro

Bono Attorney award each year. 

 

Q & A with Sandy Hansen:

Where are you from?

I was born in Illinois, and we moved to Tucson when I was four years old.  I grew

up in Tucson, attended Peter Howell Elementary, Alice Vail Junior High and

Rincon High School.  I love the desert.

 

How long have you lived in Tucson?

I grew up here.  I remember when Wilmot was way, way out of town, when the

radio towers on Swan were a big deal, and KTKT was the big radio station.

 

What is the history of your practice of law?

As a law student, I began clerking at the Pima County Attorney’s Office, and had

the opportunity to work for many lawyers on many different kinds of cases.  I had

the pleasure of working for and with some outstanding lawyers and role models,

like Cindy Jorgenson and Jim Himelic.  I worked at the County Attorneys Office

as a lawyer from 1984 to 1995, and specialized in prosecution of sex offenders,

murderers and child abusers. 

 

I joined the United States Attorneys Office in 1995, and have been in many areas

of criminal prosecution, including the general crimes section, drugs, an organized

crime and drug unit, immigration, white collar, public corruption, supervised a trial

unit, and my favorite, violent crimes section.

 

What drives you to volunteer with VLP?

Service is important to me.  I believe that it is important to make a contribution

to our community, and to work each day to make the world a better place.  I

have been a volunteer in our community since the 70s when I was a “candy

striper” during the summer at Tucson Medical Center !  I was 15, and not old

enough to have patient contact, so I was assigned to the laundry.  It was very

hot that summer!

 

Anyone you would like to acknowledge for contributing to your legal

career/pro bono service?

I was fortunate to work with Elizabeth Berenguer, ace volunteer with the

Volunteer Lawyers Program.  She said she really enjoyed volunteering with

the VLP, and invited me to the Child Support training.  I took the training last

spring, and began working at the Child Support Clinic in June.  It has been a

terrific experience, and has allowed me to help children, and their parents!

 

Things you do when not working or volunteering your legal services?

I treasure each day.  Every morning is a gift.  I am very lucky to have such a fine

family and terrific and supportive friends and co-workers.  While I always thought

I had my priorities in order, my cancer journey helped me fine tune them.  My

family is the most important priority.  I enjoy being with my family, just hanging

out.  Nothing else compares.  I also love to run and to walk.  It gives me time

to think, to reflect on the day’s events and just to clear my head!

 

If this award was accompanied by prize money, how would you spend it?

I’d donate it to the Arizona Cancer Center .

 

If you ever retire from private practice, it will be to start a new career as a ______?

Grounds keeper at the U of A.  My dream job is to plant the flowers at the

flagpole by Old Main.

 

Best vacation destinations?

The beach.  I love walking on the sand, playing chase with the waves, finding

shells, hoping to see dolphins or submarines!  Last summer my youngest

daughter Katie and I went to surf camp.  It was a hoot.  We slept in a tent

on the beach, what fun.  Of course she was able to stand up on her board

by the second wave, and me, I will work on it this summer.