By Michele Mirto
Every month, Southern Arizona Legal
Aid’s Volunteer
Lawyers
Program (VLP) recognizes an attorney for his
or her
efforts and contributions to the program.
The VLP’s
monthly
award is a distinct honor: of the nearly 1300 attorneys who
volunteer
their
time with the VLP, only 12 receive the VLP’s Outstanding Pro
Bono
Attorney
award each year.
Steve
Portell was selected to receive the Outstanding Pro Bono
Attorney of the
Month
Award for January 2011.
Steve began his work with
the VLP in 1998.
During
his thirteen years with the program, Steve has assisted
clients with debt
collection, employment, estate planning and housing matters.
Recently, Steve
completed
his work on a case for a client who had been wrongfully
discharged
from his
place of employment.
Steve reviewed voluminous
documents and
interviewed twelve witnesses.
He then organized a
meeting with the employer
who heard
the testimony of all of the witnesses.
The witnesses corroborated
the
client’s story and revealed who the true wrongdoer was - a
supervisor who
was
systematically abusing his position and the vulnerable
people he was
supposed
to serve.
Steve was successful in
clearing the client’s name for
the
wrongful termination.
As a result of Steve’s
work,
the client has been able
to move
on to a higher paying position.
Steve dedicated one
hundred and ten
hours to
this matter.
Q & A
with Steve Portell Portell
How long
have you lived in Tucson?
Since May 22, 1996.
What is the history of your
practice of law?
I started my career doing
criminal defense with Steve
Sherick.
He taught me about the
importance of
being a good and loving person as
we advocate for our clients.
I then worked
with Pat Broom at Snell & Wilmer
doing product liability defense work.
Pat
taught me about the importance of
preparation, hard work and determination.
Then, I worked at Quarles & Brady
doing product liability defense and civil
litigation where I learned how to
reign in my intensity (a little) and become a
better manager of people (still a
work in progress).
Then, after years of
fighting with them in court, I
joined Haralson, Miller, Pitt, Feldman & McAnally,
PLC as a shareholder.
They are teaching me that
they have forgotten more
law than I will ever know.
It is both humbling and
rewarding.
What are your current practice
areas?
Personal injury,
product liability
defense,
business torts, commercial litigation and whatever VLP asks
me
to do.
What drives you to volunteer with
VLP?
Catholic guilt?
But seriously...you
would have to be made of stone
not to love VLP.
So, in a word, love.
Anyone you would like to acknowledge
for contributing to your legal
career / pro bono service?
In light of the most recent and
tragic events, I
want to acknowledge Judge John Roll.
I defended numerous criminal
and civil
matters in front of him.
Our political affiliations and
philosophies were very
different, but he was always
respectful and kind to me.
Over the years,
Judge Roll volunteered his time for
many of the events I organized, and he
was always ready with a word of
encouragement and a helpful suggestion.
I have mentored several law students
who went on to clerk for Judge Roll—
they had the same experience.
They learned that Judge Roll
was an excellent
mentor who was generous with his time
and possessed a deep knowledge
of the law.
In the end, he taught me that
a man of principle, regardless of
his political affiliations, can be
fair-minded.
That he can be a friend.
I will
miss him.
Favorite
Tucson restaurant?
The “Little” Café Poca Cosa
Things you do when not working or
volunteering your legal services?
I study
martial arts, play tennis and engage in lots of geeky hobbies
involving
electronics
and astronomy.
If this award was accompanied by
prize money, how would you spend it?
No doubt, I
would buy something that requires electricity or gasoline to
operate.
Are you a dog or a cat person?
I love both, but I have three cats.
Ask me
about the failed experiment to add a
border collie to the mix...
Person you
most admire?
I
don’t know about “admire”, but the person who
most inspires me is my wife, Melissa.
Any bad habits?
How much time have you
got?
