By Stacy
Rupprecht Butler
Jim Marvel has
been selected as the
Outstanding
Pro Bono Attorney of the
Month for
October. Jim began to
volunteer with
the VLP in 2003. Since
that time he
has consistently offered
help to VLP
clients with elder law issues
and probate
matters. By drafting wills
and powers of
attorney for clients, Jim
not only
shares his legal expertise, but
also provides
peace of mind to those
most in need
in our community. 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
Jim Marvel:
Where are
you from?
I grew up in a
small town in central Iowa.
Where did
you attend college and law school?
I attended the
University of Iowa and graduated in 1970 during the Vietnam
War.
I had been
accepted at the University of Iowa, College of Law, but my draft
number was
202. I was expecting to be drafted during the summer. Instead,
in
a stroke of
genius, Richard M. Nixon set a ceiling on the draft at 195.
Instead
of the army, I
was able to enroll and complete my law school education, with
distinction,
in 1973.
What is the
history of your practice of law?
I practiced in
Pella, Iowa until 1986 when I enrolled in the University of
Miami
masters
program. I earned a Masters in Estate Planning in June 1987. I
practiced in
Newport Beach, California until moving to Tucson in 1993. For
the past 20
years, my practice has been exclusively in the estate planning,
probate and
trust areas.
Anyone you
would like to acknowledge for contributing to your legal
career /
pro bono service?
I maintain an
association with two other attorneys who were working on their
masters when I
was. They live in Wilmington, North Carolina and Naples,
Florida. We
have periodic telephone conference calls and have met annually
to discuss
practice concerns, technology, and developments in the estate
planning
arena.
What drives
you to volunteer with VLP?
