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Peter Akmajian
July 2008
The Attorney
of the Month for July is
Peter Akmajian.
Peter has been providing
pro bono legal
assistance to VLP clients
in Pima County
for nineteen years. Peter
accepts tort
cases from the Volunteer
Lawyers
Program for direct representation.
Recently,
Peter accepted a case for a
client whose
only mode of transportation
is a bicycle.
The client mistakenly
believed that
he was to meet Peter
at the Legal
Aid office to discuss his
case. The
client peddled to Legal Aid
only to
discover that his appointment
was scheduled
to take place several miles away at Peter’s office on east
Broadway. VLP
staff contacted Peter and he immediately, and without
hesitation,
got in his car and drove to the SALA office to speak with the
pro bono client.
Not only does
Peter assist VLP clients, but he also serves as the President of
the Board of
Directors of Southern Arizona Legal Aid. He is generous with
his
time and his
expertise, and is a champion for legal services in the
community.
Q&A with
Peter Akmajian:
Where are
you from?
I am a Tucson
native. I went to Rincon High School and the U of A undergrad
and law
school. My dad was a U of A professor, so I basically grew up
on
campus, and,
of course benefited from the faculty dependent discount to
attend the
University. After law school, I moved to Phoenix and clerked
for
Justice Gordon
on the Arizona Supreme Court. I then practiced for 4 years
in Phoenix
with O'Connor Cavanagh. I moved back to Tucson in 1989,
working with
OCC and then OCC/Molloy Jones until 1999. I've been with
my present
firm, Udall Law Firm, since 1999. My office overlooks my old
high school.
I've come a long way!
What are
your current practice areas?
Much of my
practice is devoted to representing doctors in malpractice
cases.
I enjoy this
work immensely because the clients are fascinating, the cases
are complex
and challenging, and the issues and disputes important as they
relate to
health care. In addition, many of these cases go to trial, and
I am
happiest as a
lawyer when I am at the court house in a jury trial.
Best thing
about being an attorney in Tucson?
I've enjoyed
practicing law in Tucson. The legal community is close‑knit and
collegial. I
think I was able to become a trial lawyer here whereas I was
concerned that
in Phoenix, I would have become a "litigator".
What drives
you to volunteer with VLP?
I have been doing
VLP work from the beginning of my career. I still remember
my first VLP
client, an old fellow in Phoenix who had lived many years in
Israel.
When he returned,
he found that a bank account that he thought he had here
was gone. It
turned out the bank made a mistake and lost his money. It
wasn't a ton of
money, but I was able to help him recover it. He was so grateful,
and he insisted on
taking me out to breakfast at Denny's to celebrate. He kept
in touch with me
for years afterwards. I always keep two or three VLP cases
going, and I'm
proud to say I've never turned down a VLP case. Why do I do
VLP work? Because
I think all attorneys have an obligation to carry pro bono
cases. And I've
found over the years that I've enjoyed the cases and the
diversity of
clients. I've also learned a lot because the cases often present
interesting
issues. I of course feel good helping someone who needs legal
assistance to
secure his or her rights. I would encourage everyone to
volunteer because
it is truly an enriching experience.
A great
anecdote from your VLP experiences?
In terms of an
anecdote, I have a client right now I'm helping to get his driver's
license. There's
an old judgment on the books that is causing problems, but
the judgment was
never renewed, so we're working with DMV to authorize the
license. He
really needs it to build up his landscaping business. Anyway,
he told me the
other day that he was talking to one of his landscaping clients
about his case,
and this client asked who his lawyer was. It turned out his
landscaping client
is one of my doctor clients.
Any hidden
talents?
I love ping pong
and had not lost a game for years until one of my old high
school buddies
came to town just this week and took me on my home table.
Ouch. I've also
discovered I love playing conga drums, and maybe some of
you saw me playing
with Los Big Grandes at the recent PCBA 75th
anniversary party.
If you ever
retire from private practice, it will be to start a new
career as a
______?
I don't know about
retirement right now. I'm enjoying myself too much to worry
about that. But
I'll stay in Tucson.
The VLP’s monthly
award is a distinct honor: of the 1,220 attorneys who
volunteer their
time with VLP, only 12 receive the VLP’s Outstanding Pro Bono
Attorney award
each year. To find out how you can become involved in the
VLP, call Michele
Mirto, VLP Program Director at 623-9465, extension 4171.
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Past Pima
County Monthly Award Winners
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