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Brian Bjorndahl
Bogutz & Gordon, PC
Pima County
Brian
Bjorndahl assists pro bono clients with wills,
small estates and probate
matters through the
Volunteer Lawyers Program (VLP) in Tucson.
Recently Brian
even
agreed
to accept a case for
a client that resides
two hours away from Tucson
in Cochise County. The client, an elderly person
who
exists solely on Social Security and a very
small private pension, was living in a
nursing home.
The Arizona Long Term Care System (ALTCS)
notified the client that income was
a few
dollars more than allowed by ALTCS regulations.
With only a few days
notice, the client was informed that if the situation did not change, the client
would be cut off from ALTCS, and the nursing home would begin to charge the
client directly
for care at a rate of $3,500 per
month. The client's family was
frantic to find
someone to assist them with their
mother's
affairs.
Unfortunately,
there was no volunteer attorney in Douglas with the expertise to
create a Miller
Trust, the remedy needed by the client. Brian Bjorndahl stepped in
on a
moment's notice and agreed to accept the case. He prepared the Miller
Trust
and was able to protect the client's income and calm
her family's fears.
The above is just
one example of the many times Brian has assisted VLP
clients. He has been doing as much for the
last seventeen
years. For his
long
time dedication and
for his willingness to share his talent and skill with
those most in need in our community, the VLP was thrilled that
Brian Bjorndahl
received one of
the Foundation's Top Pro
Bono Attorneys in Arizona Awards.
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Shannon Bradley
Bradley & Cayce, PC
Pima County
In just five
short years with the Volunteer Lawyers Program (VLP) Shannon
Bradley
has proven to be a formidable advocate for clients in need of legal
services.
Without Shannon's impressive commitment to the delivery of legal
services,
many clients would have been turned away without help.
Shannon
recently completed a divorce case for a VLP client. The client, a
stay
at home mom with three children had
been married for more than twenty years
when she was served with a
Petition for Dissolution by her husband. The client,
a victim of
domestic violence throughout her marriage, was forbidden to work
outside the home
by her spouse. Shannon stepped in and filed a response on
behalf of the
client. She prepared numerous pleadings, attended four hearings,
and ultimately was
able to negotiate a favorable settlement on the client's
behalf. Although
the legal outcome for the client was incredibly positive, it was
perhaps what
Shannon did outside of the legal arena that made this resolution so
much more meaningful. Shannon was able to facilitate
the client's entry into an
educational program
that assists
women with job-related scholarships, job
placement, and
job-seeking skills. With Shannon's continued monitoring and
encouragement, our
client completed a skills workshop and attends class three
times a week.
In addition to
those clients Shannon has helped through direct representation,
she also serves
clients by volunteering in all four domestic relations clinics
offered by the VLP.
Shannon is a regular participant in the Divorce with Children,
Divorce without
Children, Paternity and Domestic Violence Clinics. At the
Domestic Violence
Clinic Shannon meets with clients at local shelters where she
provides valuable
advice, information and brief services to victims.
Shannon's
expertise in domestic relations and her willingness to spend her
time helping
clients gain safety and support are invaluable to the VLP. Simply
stated, Shannon
has quickly become a hero in our legal community. It is
impossible to
overstate the value of Shannon's contribution to the VLP and our
clients. The
staff of the VLP is pleased that the Foundation recognized
Shannon as a hero and honored
her as one of Arizona's Top Pro Bono Attorneys.
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Tom Curti
Fleming & Curti, PLC
Pima County
Tom Curti has been providing free legal services
to residents of
Pima County for more than
twenty
years. His expertise in the area of elder law has
made him a powerful
resource for the Volunteer
Lawyers Program (VLP). Tom, a partner in the
Tucson
firm of Fleming & Curti, P.L.C., provides
advice, brief service and direct
representation to pro
bono clients in the areas of wills,
guardianships,
probate and
health care law.
Not long ago Tom assisted a VLP client by preparing her will, a
health care
power of
attorney and a financial power of attorney. The client, a
seventy-five
year old
woman who lives on a small monthly sum from Social Security, was
relieved to
have her legal affairs put in order. Not only was Tom able to
prepare
the client’s
documents, but he was able to give her peace of mind.
The law firm of Fleming & Curti, P.L.C. was recognized as the
Outstanding Law
Firm of the
Year in 2003 by the VLP. Tom’s contributions to this recognition
were
significant. Although he was honored for his VLP work as a member
of his
firm, his
dedication to pro bono merits individual recognition. Therefore,
the staff
of the VLP
was excited when the Foundation honored Tom Curti at
the state level
by naming him as one of Arizona’s Top Pro Bono Attorneys.
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Les Gilbertson
Sole Practitioner
Pima County
Les
Gilbertson has consistently accepted Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
and
Unemployment Compensation cases from the Volunteer Lawyers Program
(VLP). In
2003 Les completed an SSI case for a client whose benefits had been
terminated.
Les appealed the decision and represented the client at her
hearing.
Les dedicated seventeen hours to the case and received a favorable
decision
from the administrative law judge who determined that the client’s
disability
had not ceased and ordered that the client’s benefits continue.
Les has a
very unique and cherished arrangement with the VLP staff. When
referring a
case to Les, it is not necessary for VLP staff to speak directly
with
him. Les’
office staff is aware of his commitment to VLP clients and accepts
cases
regularly on his behalf. This arrangement is so important,
especially
when a
client is operating under a deadline. In other instances, it may
take the
VLP staff
several days exchanging phone messages to speak with an attorney.
This lost
time is so valuable when a client has a limited number of days in
which
to take
action in a case. Both VLP staff and clients appreciate this
special
arrangement.
Les has been
recognized as the Outstanding Pro Bono Attorney of the Month in
Pima
County. In 2003, he was also honored by the VLP when he received
the
Lifesaver
Award from Chief Justice Jones at the VLP’s Annual Awards
Luncheon.
The Lifesaver Award is given each year to the attorney that rescues
the VLP the
most often during the year. Last year the VLP received numerous
SSI cases
with extremely short deadlines. Les never declined to assist a
client
on a
moment’s notice when called on by the VLP. For his steadfast
commitment
to the provision of legal services to the poor, the VLP is pleased
that the Foundation has also
recognized his efforts with a Top Pro Bono Attorney
Award.
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James Gjurgevich
Sole Practitioner
Pima County
James Gjurgevich has been a member of the Volunteer Lawyers Program
(VLP)
in Pima
County since 1986. Throughout those nineteen years he has
represented
clients in real property, debt collection, landlord/tenant and
contract
matters.
Mr. Gjurgevich also drafts will for VLP clients.
Recently Mr. Gjurgevich completed a debt collection case for a VLP
client. The
client was
involved in an accident while driving a rental car. His insurance
company
refused to cover the damages caused by the accident and the client
was sued for
an amount in excess of $12,000.00. The client was unemployed
and living
with relatives. A judgment in this amount would have been
devastating.
The case
came to the VLP during the Christmas holidays with a response due in
a matter of
days. Mr. Gjurgevich accepted the case on December 26 and filed a
timely
response. A settlement was negotiated that dismissed the
plaintiff’s case
and required
the insurance company to pay all attorneys costs and fees. Mr.
Gjurgevich
explained to the insurance company that he had accepted the case
on a pro
bono basis and therefore, there would be no fees for his services.
Nevertheless, the insurance company felt compelled by the terms of
the
settlement
to pay his fees. Mr. Gjurgevich received several thousand dollars
for
his services
in the case. Mr. Gjurgevich promptly donated the fees received to
the VLP.
Mr. Gjurgevich has been honored by the VLP as the Outstanding Pro
Bono
Attorney of
the Month in Pima County for his long time efforts toward helping
those less
fortunate in our community. His vast knowledge and experience in a
variety of
different substantive areas of law has made him an invaluable
resource
for the VLP.
He is generous with his time and always receptive to the VLP staff
when called
upon. For these reasons, it is most appropriate that the
Foundation
honored James Gjurgevich one of Arizona’s Top Pro
Bono Attorneys in 2004.
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Elliot Glicksman
Stompoly, Stroud,
Glicksman & Erickson, PC
Pima County
An active volunteer with the Volunteer Lawyers
Program (VLP)
in Tucson for over fifteen years,
Elliot Glicksman represents clients who would
not
otherwise be
able to afford representation in
tort defense cases. The VLP has
a
standing
arrangement with Elliot that allows staff to
send him a new pro bono
referral
every sixty days.
A personal injury and wrongful death specialist,
and
partner in
Tucson’s Stompoly, Stroud, Glicksman &
Erikson, Elliot finds his VLP
service
both enjoyable and rewarding.
In addition
to his direct service to clients through the VLP, Elliot has also
served
as the
Master of Ceremonies (MC) for the VLP’s Annual Awards Luncheon. The
VLP initiated the Annual Luncheon in 1997 as a way to honor those
attorneys,
law students
and support service businesses that give so much to the client
community
each year. Elliot was asked to serve as the MC for the first time
seven years
ago. He quickly and without hesitation agreed. He has continued
to serve as
the MC for the last seven years. He always makes the honorees
laugh and
inspires others to become more involved with the VLP. The
staff of
the VLP receives
endless numbers of compliments in regard to Elliot’s
performance each year.
In fact, the VLP luncheon has become an anticipated
event each year
throughout Tucson’s legal community. This success is a direct
result
of Elliot’s
efforts.
Through his endeavors with the VLP, Elliot assists clients and
motivates others
in the legal
profession to become involved in the provision of pro bono legal
services.
His efforts improve the public perception of lawyers and reflect
well on
the entire
profession.
Elliot has been recognized in the past as the Outstanding Pro Bono
Attorney of
the Month in
Pima County. While local recognition is good, the staff of the VLP
always
believed that Elliot’s long time commitment to pro bono work and his
willingness to utilize
his comedic talents for the benefit of the VLP deserved
statewide
recognition. Those who are fortunate to work with Elliot know that
he
is a generous,
incredibly smart and community-minded person. For these
reasons, the staff of the VLP was
extremely excited when the Foundation
honored Elliot as one of Arizona’s Top Pro Bono Attorneys
in 2004.
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Charlotte Hamilton
Sole Practitioner
Pima County
Charlotte Hamilton has been a member of the Volunteer Lawyers
Program (VLP)
in Pima
County for just a little more than a year. In that short time she
has
assisted two
hundred and sixty-seven clients. She has represented clients in
divorce and
custody matters. Charlotte has also assisted VLP clients in
Domestic
Relations Clinics, providing information and advice to pro per
litigants.
Charlotte is
scheduled frequently to conduct clinics. She never declines and
often covers
for attorneys that have to cancel their clinics on short notice.
VLP clients love Charlotte. She is clear in her presentation of the
material and
answers all
of the client questions in a manner that is helpful, but not
condescending. Although Charlotte had a 30 year career in the
corporate world,
the actual
practice of law has become a second calling for her. She has used
this
transition to give back to the community and help those residents in
Pima
County that
are most in need of legal services.
Charlotte has demonstrated an amazing commitment to help pro bono
clients.
She has made
an incredible contribution to the lives of so many clients in such a
short amount
of time. Her work illustrates the enormous difference one person
can make in
a community and serves as an example to everyone in the legal
profession
and beyond.
For her remarkable
efforts on behalf of clients in need, the staff of the VLP is
thrilled that
Charlotte received statewide recognition. We believe that her good
work embodies the spirit of the Foundation's
Awards and is therefore
more than
worthy of this
recognition.
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Elaine Hardin
Sole Practitioner
Pima County
Elaine Hardin has donated her time and talents through the Volunteer
Lawyers
Program (VLP)
in Tucson for more than two decades. Assisting in the area of
domestic
relations, Elaine has agreed to represent VLP clients in some of the
most
difficult and challenging cases seen by the VLP staff. Recently
Elaine
agreed to
accept a complicated paternity case. The client is deaf and a
victim of
domestic
violence. The father of the child is disabled, resides out of
state, is
unrepresented and extremely violent. Without hesitation Elaine
agreed to accept
the case and
help the client secure supervised visitation for her son.
In addition
to her direct work with pro bono clients, Elaine assists the VLP by
mentoring
law students through the VLP Advocate Program. The VLP Advocate
Program
provides law students with a variety of volunteer opportunities.
One of
those
opportunities is the Domestic Relations Clinic. In the clinic, law
students
are given
the opportunity to meet with a client under the supervision of a
volunteer
attorney. Students provide basic information and advice and assist
clients in
completing self-help forms. One of the goals of the VLP Advocate
Program is
to introduce law students to pro bono work at the start of their
legal
careers.
The belief is that law students who have a good experience with pro
bono work
while in law school will continue the work after graduation. Elaine
has helped the
VLP not only introduce pro bono work to law students, but has
ensured that
the next generation of volunteer lawyers will be well trained and
ready to
help those most in need.
For her unwavering and lengthy commitment to helping the underserved
with their
legal needs,
the staff of the VLP is thrilled that Elaine Hardin was selected to
receive a Top Pro Bono
Award.
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Cary T. Inabinet
Office of the Attorney
General
Cochise County
As a private
attorney who practiced primarily in Maricopa County for over 25
years, Cary
Inabinet has always been intensely dedicated to pro bono work.
During that
time, he consistently maintained at least one pro bono case on his
caseload,
representing clients with legal matters such as divorce, post-decree
matters, and
wills. After accepting a position with the Attorney General’s
Office
in Sierra
Vista, Cary hoped to find a way to assist clients in need that would
work with
his new position. Although serving as a public attorney presents an
obstacle for
many volunteer attorneys, Cary continues to donate a great deal of
time to
clients in Cochise County through the Volunteer Lawyers Program.
Along with a
fellow volunteer attorney, Cary helped the VLP institute Divorce
Clinics in
Cochise County. Held on a monthly basis at the Sierra Vista Public
Library in
order to offer legal information and advice to pro per divorce
litigants,
Cary has
conducted 17 clinics since May of 2002. Giving up weeknights to
help
those who
are less fortunate has become a way of life for Cary.
Compassionate,
humorous,
and knowledgeable, Cary helps clients feel both comfortable and
empowered.
In addition
to his direct service to clients, Cary serves on the Cochise County
VLP Advisory
Board, a role in which he assists with new volunteer recruitment,
CLE
planning, and programmatic decisions. As such, he also donates his
time
to serve as
a mentor to other volunteer attorneys, acting as a consultant on
complicated
domestic relations cases.
Within
Cochise County, Cary has been honored as the Outstanding Pro Bono
Attorney of
the Quarter for Fall of 2001, the Public Attorney of the Year for
2002,
and the Pro
Bono Attorney of the Year for 2003. We truly believe that Cary’s
commitment,
expertise, and kindness make him deserving of recognition on a
statewide
level. It is with great pleasure that the VLP nominated Cary
Inabinet
to be
honored as one of the Top Pro Bono Attorneys in Arizona.
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John F. Kelliher,
Jr.
John F. Kelliher,
P.C.
Cochise County
As the senior partner of the firm John F. Kelliher, P.C., John
Kelliher volunteers
his time and
expertise to help low-income clients in Cochise County. John
spear-headed
the first Advice Clinic, a clinic that has been operating in Sierra
Vista since
November of 2002. At these clinics, clients have the opportunity to
meet with an
attorney for a half-hour consultation in order to obtain both advice
and an
assessment of their case regarding any type of civil legal matter,
including
bankruptcy, family law, property, and employment issues. Both
associates
in his firm, Patricia Moreno and Adele Drumlevitch, also participate
in
the clinics,
and John’s innovative idea struck up enthusiasm among the local Bar
Association
for pro bono work. John donates his time at every Advice Clinic the
VLP holds in
Cochise County, giving up his Saturday mornings on a bi-monthly
basis to
help clients.
Additionally, John has directly represented clients with custody
matters,
employment
issues, and guardianships. Most recently, the VLP received a
request from
a client for an emergency temporary guardianship. Our client, a
monolingual
Spanish speaker living in Phoenix, was seeking a guardianship over
her
physically and mentally handicapped 18-year-old niece from Cochise
County. Due
to charges of neglect, the girl had been taken from her parents by
Adult
Protective Services and was forced into a foster care home in
Douglas.
Our client
worked full-time, and shared a house with her mother, the girl’s
grandmother,
who would be able to take care of the girl during the day. Because
of her
condition, the girl needed a life-saving operation and had the
surgery
appointment
scheduled within a month of the VLP receiving the case. The two
surgeons she
would need to meet with prior to the appointment refused to see
her until a
temporary guardianship was in place. After a great deal of work on
short notice
and with the client living in another county, John was able to
obtain
an emergency
temporary guardianship for the girl. The girl had her much-needed
operation,
and John is now working on obtaining a permanent guardianship for
our client.
John
Kelliher’s commitment to helping those in need, as well as to
developing
new programs
to reach more clients, serves as an inspiration for all members of
the legal
community. Because of this, John has been awarded the Attorney of
the Quarter
for Winter 2003 in Cochise County, as well as the Firm of the Year
Award in
2003. It was with great honor that we nominated John Kelliher to be
recognized
as one of the Top Pro Bono Attorneys in Arizona.
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Kasey Nye
Quarles & Brady Streich
Lang LLP
Pima County
Kasey Nye assists the Volunteer Lawyers Program (VLP) in
Tucson with
some of the most
complex and difficult
consumer bankruptcy cases that present themselves
to
the program. He represents VLP clients in both Chapter
7 and
Chapter 13 cases. He has even been willing to assist some clients that
reside outside of
Tucson, as far north as Navajo County. In addition to providing
direct
representation for VLP clients, Kasey is also active in the VLP by
participating in three
clinics where he provides advice and brief service to pro
bono
clients. Kasey
participates in the Advice Only, the Chapter 7
Bankruptcy and the Bankruptcy
Reaffirmation Clinics. Although he regularly
schedules times to conduct the
clinics, he has also shown an incredible
willingness to fill in on
short notice when
another attorney is forced to cancel
their clinic.
Kasey has also trained law students to participate in the VLP
Advocate
Program.
The program offers three opportunities for law students to volunteer
their time
with the VLP. One of those options takes place at Bankruptcy Court
Reaffirmation Hearings. At the hearings, volunteer attorneys and
law students
meet with
unrepresented clients. The students review reaffirmation agreements
presented to
the clients by their creditors. Students then have the opportunity
to
appear
before the court and offer their recommendation as to whether the
client
should sign
the reaffirmation agreement. Not only does Kasey participate as a
volunteer
attorney at these hearings, but has also provided the training
necessary
for law students to become involved. He has prepared and reviewed
materials
required for the training, utilized his office as the space for the
training
and actually
conducted the training himself.
Kasey has also frequently assisted the VLP staff with complicated
questions or
problems
that arise in cases. He has done research for the program and
provided
advice and direction to staff.
In the short time that Kasey has been a lawyer, he has proven
himself to be
among the
most dedicated and caring individuals in our legal community. The
staff of the
VLP is delighted that Kasey was selected as one of Arizona’s Top
Pro Bono Attorneys in
2004.
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Fred Petersen
Mesch Clark & Rothschild,
PC
Pima County
 In just four
years with the Volunteer Lawyers Program
(VLP), Fred Peterson has established
himself as one of
the premier pro bono attorneys in Pima County. He
participates in the Bankruptcy Reaffirmation Clinics,
assisting
clients and mentoring
law students. In fact,
he frequently covers for other attorneys
when they are
forced to cancel on short notice.
In addition
to his work with the clinic, Fred accepts
complicated bankruptcy cases from
the VLP for direct
representation. In September of 2003 Fred accepted a
Chapter 7 bankruptcy case for a monolingual Spanish
speaker. Fred does
not
speak Spanish himself, but willingly agreed to work with a translator.
The client,
a
domestic violence survivor and a single mother of two works for minimum wage
and attends
school in hopes that an
education will improve her life and that of her
children.
Shortly after her
divorce was finalized,
our client discovered that her
former husband
of seven years
had incurred enormous debt, upwards of $30,000
during the marriage
without her knowledge. Immediately following their divorce,
our
client’s former
spouse filed bankruptcy, leaving our client with the
responsibility
for the debt. Fred
stepped in and has helped the client protect
her current wages from creditors.
Fred has not only provided our client with
legal advice and
representation, but has succeeded in giving her confidence
and faith
that her future and
her children’s future are bright.
Fred has been recognized as the Outstanding Pro Bono Attorney of the
Month
in Pima County, and in 2003 he was honored at the VLP’s Annual Awards
Luncheon as the Outstanding Bankruptcy Attorney of the Year.
Because of
his
extraordinary efforts on behalf of VLP clients, the staff of the VLP
was
ecstatic
Foundation elected to bestow additional honor and name him as one
of
the Top Pro Bono Attorneys in Arizona in 2004.
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Armando Rivera
Sole Practitioner
Pima County
Armando Rivera has been a member of the Volunteer Lawyers Program (VLP)
since 1986.
During that time he has assisted VLP clients with Supplemental
Security
Income (SSI) matters. Rivera’s work in this area is especially
appreciated
because there are a limited number of attorneys with this expertise
and a large
volume of clients in need of SSI benefits.
In addition to his direct representation of clients, Armando has
also assisted the
VLP by
serving as an expert in the area of administrative law, specifically
with
regard to
SSI cases. The VLP staff frequently calls upon Armando to assess
cases for
merit or to research the unique aspects of a particular case. He
always
receives calls from the VLP warmly and is eager to help our clients
and
staff.
Armando has also served as a presenter for Continuing Legal
Education (CLE)
seminars
sponsored by the VLP. His efforts in this regard have been
particularly
helpful in
the recruitment and training of other volunteers in the
administrative law
arena.
Armando is quiet and unassuming. He does not seek recognition for
his
volunteer
efforts, but simply deserves it. His long standing commitment to
the
VLP and the
client community often appear to go unnoticed. And although
Armando has
been honored in the past as the Outstanding Pro Bono Attorney
of the Month,
the staff of the VLP believe his efforts deserve more significant
praise.
For these reasons, we were elated when the
Foundation selected
Armando as one of Arizona's
Top Pro Bono Attorneys in 2004.
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Sarah (Sally) Simmons
Lewis & Roca, LLP
Pima County
Sarah (Sally) Simmons has
been a volunteer lawyer for
nearly her entire legal
career. She has demonstrated a
commitment to helping clients and
giving back
to her
profession and her community for more than fifteen years.
Sally is a frequent participant in the Volunteer Lawyers
Programs (VLP)
Advice-Only Clinic. In
the clinic Sally
meets individually with clients in order to gather facts about
their cases and
provide advice and brief service. Although knowledgeable in many substantive
areas of law, Sally has
become one
of a select few
attorneys in Pima County
available to provide advice in the area of employment
law.
As her career has progressed there have been increasing demands on
her time.
But
regardless of her other professional commitments, Sally has never
forgotten
about the
VLP and has never declined to assist VLP clients when called upon.
Over the
years Sally has become a critical part of the VLP operation. She is
incredibly
helpful to clients, but also cares deeply about and supports the VLP
staff.
Whether we see her at a local function, at the office or at the
state bar
convention,
Sally always takes time to check in with the VLP staff.
It is our
great honor and privilege to nominate Sally Simmons for the
Foundation’s
Top Pro Bono Attorney Awards. Sally’s unique skills and her
willingness
to utilize them on behalf of those who need her most, serve as an
example to
all in the legal profession.
For these reasons, the VLP staff was very
happy to learn that Sally was named as one of the Foundation’s Top
25 Pro
Bono Attorneys in 2004.
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