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Cochise County 25th Anniversary
Celebration
On December 8,
2006, more than 40 attorneys, judges and other members
of the legal community
gathered for the Cochise County Bar Holiday Party/
Volunteer Lawyers Program
Awards Ceremony at Café Roka in Bisbee. Those
in attendance
gathered to celebrate the holiday season and to honor those who
had given hope to
the low-income residents of Cochise County. Douglas
attorney Ruben
Teran and Cochise County Superior Court Presiding Judge
Wallace R. Hoggatt
presented the four awards which were given to individuals
and organizations
who had made significant contributions to the provision of free
legal services for
the low-income residents of Cochise County.
The Volunteer
Lawyers Program (VLP) awarded the Sierra Vista Police
Department wi th
the 2006 Award of Appreciation for providing a safe, free
location for the
clients of the VLP
to attend pro se clinics. At these
clinics, held every other
month in
Sierra Vista, clients receive advice
from volunteer attorneys and
learn
how to represent themselves in
their divorces.
The Family Law
Attorney of the
Year Award, which is presented to
an attorney who made
extraordinary contributions in the
area of family law to the VLP and its clients during
the year, was given to Sierra
Vista attorney Nina Caples. During the year,
Ms. Caples provided more than 70
hours of free legal services to clients of the
VLP in their
divorces.
The Lifesaver
Award is given to an
attorney who provided assistance to
the VLP and its clients at
a time
when almost all hope was lost.
This year the VLP proudly presented
the award to Edward Matchett of
Bisbee. Mr. Matchett has
consistently taken
complicated
cases with fast approaching
deadlines. This year alone, Mr.
Matchett provided more than 46 hours
in legal services to a client in just
such a situation.
Jeanne Benda
Whitney, a sole practitioner in Sierra Vista, was selected as the
Attorney of the
Year for 2006. This award was given by the VLP for going above
and beyond the
call of duty in providing assistance to the clients of the VLP this
year. In addition
to serving as an advisory board member to the V LP, taking
several cases for
direct representation
throughout the year and conducting
every one of the Divorce
Clinics held
this year (sometimes on her own),
Jeanne recognized that
clients and
volunteer attorneys needed additional
assistance beyond what was
already
being provided. Her dedication to
helping the low-income residents
of
Cochise County and making it easier
for attorneys to provide pro bono
assistance led her to spearhead an
effort to enable the clients of Southern
Arizona Legal Aid, Inc. and the VLP to
obtain fee waivers in their civil pro per
cases through a much simpler process.
For the last
twenty-five years, members of the Cochise County legal community
have been donating
their time and expertise to the clients of the Volunteer
Lawyers Program
(VLP). This year was no exception. In 2006, more than
287 VLP clients
received assistance from volunteers in their civil legal matters.
The staff of the
VLP would like to thank each of the award recipients listed here
and all of the
attorneys and other members of the community who have given
their support to
the VLP over the last 25 years.
If you are
interested in becoming a volunteer, please contact Catherine Yarnes
at
1-800-640-9465,
extension 4176.
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