The American Bar Association says a Tucson

lawyer has done exceptional work in offering free

legal services to the poor and disadvantaged.

Luis A. Ochoa was awarded a 2002 American Bar

Association Pro Bono Publico Award on Aug. 12

during the organization's annual meeting in

Washington, D.C.

Other recipients include lawyers from New York and

Denver, a national law firm and the Ohio Attorney

General's Office.

Ochoa works for the law firm of DeConcini, McDonald, Yetwin & Lacy. He has

worked with the Pima County Volunteer Lawyers Program for 14 years and

recruits lawyers to participate. He is personally assisting more than 300 clients.

One of those clients is Phillip Shoemaker, 70, who was diagnosed about seven

years ago with Parkinson's disease. Forced to stop working because of the

disease, he racked up about $10,000 in medical expenses. When Shoemaker

sought help with filing bankruptcy, he found Ochoa.

"Lots of medical bills piled up and snowballed. He said he'd take care of it, and

he did," Shoemaker said. "He did a real good job with my case, and he's a real

good man."

Even when creditors sought payment years after the filing, Shoemaker turned to

Ochoa for help.  "He got them off of my back and got me through it and, so far, stayed on top of it," Shoemaker said.

Ochoa said many people need legal assistance, and he feels obligated to help

them. The best part of receiving the award, he said, has been the calls from three

Tucson lawyers who heard about it and wanted to volunteer.

"To me, it's embarrassing to get this recognition, but it gets people thinking,"

Ochoa said. "The award has made them think about what they give back. In that

sense, I'm really glad I got the award."

Ochoa is the first Tucson lawyer to receive the honor, said Paul Julian, chief

executive officer of Southern Arizona Legal Aid, which offers free services in civil

matters and is a sponsor of the Volunteer Lawyers Program. Members of that

program nominated Ochoa for the award.

"Luis was so powerful as an applicant, they just couldn't say no to him," Julian

said. "He made a commitment to pro bono (work) in a way that really is a model

for attorneys everywhere."

Arizona lawyers are not required to take cases pro bono, or without payment.

The state Supreme Court encourages lawyers to volunteer 50 hours annually.

Ochoa said he volunteers at least 75 hours every year. While that is already on

the "higher end" of volunteer hours, Ochoa is being "modest" about his

contributions, Julian said.

Ochoa also represents litigants in U.S. Bankruptcy Court and trains law students

to do the same. He heads a bankruptcy clinic for the volunteer program that

helps clients avoid home foreclosures, vehicle seizures and wage garnishments.

Clients can receive legal services in English and Spanish.

Ochoa said he started volunteering partly for personal reasons. As a young

lawyer, he was interested in learning about bankruptcy proceedings, so he

contacted the county volunteer lawyers program. His first pro bono client was

an ill, elderly woman besieged by debt after moving here from the Midwest.

Ochoa handled the woman's bankruptcy proceedings. About three years later,

after the woman died, a friend of hers called to let him know she had always

remembered him and had been thankful for his help.

Contact reporter Joseph Barrios at 573-4241 or send him an e-mail him at

jbarrios@azstarnet.com.

Copyright 2002 The Arizona Daily Star