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 1220 attorneys
who
volunteer their time with the VLP,
only 12
receive the VLP’s Outstanding
Pro Bono
Attorney Award each year.
Sarah
Crotty was selected to receive
the
Outstanding Pro Bono Attorney of
the Month
Award for June 2010. Sarah began volunteering with the VLP
immediately after being admitted to the bar in the fall of
2006. During that time,
she has
assisted clients with wills and advance directives. Sarah
has recently
expanded
her participation in the VLP by joining the ranks of those
volunteers
who assist
with the program’s Minor Guardianship Clinic. In the
clinic, Sarah
supervises
law students as they meet with unrepresented clients at
their
guardianship hearings in Probate Court. Under Sarah’s
supervision, the
students
explain the proceedings and review the client’s file to
ensure that
the
paperwork is in order and that all of the legal requirements
have been met.
The
students then have the opportunity to appear before the
court and offer their
recommendation as to whether the client should be awarded
guardianship.
Q & A
with Sarah Crotty
How
long have you lived in Tucson?
I was born
in here and am a 3rd generation Tucsonan. I left
in 1993, lived in
Gloucester, Virginia and worked at the Law School at William
and Mary. In
1998, I
moved to Chicopee, Massachusetts and finished my bachelor’s
degree
at Mount
Holyoke. I finally found my way back here in 2001. I loved
living in
both
areas, but I am happy to be home!
What
are your current practice areas?
I am an
elder law attorney. It is a very rewarding area. People
are really scared
when the
process begins, but most of the time the results are good
and folks
are happy
when they realize they are safe and their needs are being
met.
Favorite Tucson restaurant?
Bill
Clinton and I agree that Mi Nidito is the best Mexican food
in town! I have
been going
there my whole life, and it has changed a lot. The remodel
is nice,
but it has
lost some of its charm now that you don’t have to walk
outside the
building
to get to the restroom.
Things
you do when not working or volunteering your legal services?
