By Stacy
Rupprecht Butler
The VLP
Attorney of the Month
for September
is Sarah Crotty. Ms.
Crotty began
volunteering with VLP
immediately
after being admitted to
the bar in the
fall of 2006. Recently,
Ms. Crotty
helped a terminally-ill
client
complete her will. The client,
a 51-year-old
single mother with
two minor
children, was in the end
stages of
cancer and was concerned
about the well
being of her minor
children. When
she contacted the
VLP, she was
in hospice care. On short notice, Ms. Crotty prepared estate
planning
documents and brought them to the client, who was too sick to
travel.
In addition,
the Ms. Crotty agreed to help the client's adult children obtain
guardianship
of the minor children. The client passed away within days of
meeting with
Ms. Crotty. Sarah’s ability to act quickly and compassionately
brought peace
of mind to the client and a secure and stable future for her
minor
children. The VLP’s monthly award is a distinct honor: of the
1200
attorneys who
volunteer their time with VLP, only 12 receive the VLP’s
Outstanding
Pro Bono Attorney award each year.
Q&A with
Sarah Crotty:
Where are
you from?
I am a third
generation Tucsonan. I went to Lineweaver Elementary, Alice
Vail
Jr. Jail, and
Rincon High. I am a product (good or bad) of TUSD.
Where did
you go to college?
Mt. Holyoke in
South Hadley, MA. Going to an all‑girl school really changed
the
way I see the
world. It remains one of the best experiences of my life.
What is the
history of your practice of law?
I was a legal
assistant for John O’Dowd prior to going to law school. He was
the
biggest
influence on my path to law school and on teaching through
example the
importance of
community involvement. I have worked in the elder law field
since
moving back to
Tucson in 2005. I was extremely fortunate to land a job with
Denice
Shepherd, who has been a great teacher and wonderful mentor.
What are
your volunteer activities?
I volunteer
for the Beacon project every year, Volunteer Lawyers, and
recently
have joined
the Board of a rescue program for abandoned/neglected horses.
Favorite
song?
My dad was a
big‑band musician prior to being a band director at Flowing
Wells,
so I love
big‑band era music. My favorite song since I was in high school
is
Tommy Dorsey’s
version of Sunny Side of the Street.
