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Superheroes Step
Up to the Challenge in VLP’s Recruitment
Campaign
By Stacy Rupprecht
Butler
In September 2008,
the
Volunteer Lawyers
Program (VLP)
launched its first
statewide attorney
recruitment campaign
in more than five
years.
The theme of the
campaign, “Do
Something Amazing –
Just Do What You Do,”
was designed to draw
attorneys’ attention
to
the fact that they
have
a unique educational
background
and skill
set that can be used
to
make an incredible
difference in the lives of impoverished Arizonans who cannot
afford access to our
justice system. The campaign targeted attorneys who
practice in Arizona,
but who do not currently
participate in a VLP program.
The Arizona
Foundation for Legal Services and Education invested $15,000 in
the 2009 VLP Attorney
Recruitment Campaign. Kevin S. Ruegg, Ph.D.,
CEO/Executive
Director for the Arizona Foundation for Legal Services &
Education, says that
“giving your pro bono service through the VLP programs
assures you are
maximizing the impact your expertise can offer. The
Foundation knows that
investing in the recruitment campaign of the Arizona
VLP programs offers
the greatest return for increasing access to justice for
Arizona.”
As part of the
campaign, the VLP created brochures. These brochures
challenged attorneys
to get involved by telling the story of the VLP, highlighting
the different types
of volunteers that participate in the program, and describing
the different
volunteer opportunities available in each county. The brochure,
which included
registration cards, were mailed to approximately 12,000
attorneys in
Arizona. Different counties supplemented these materials with
letters from local
judges. This effort was designed to incorporate a local
approach to the
campaign that would resonate with potential volunteers.
VLP followed up on
the mailing with advertisements and articles in local and
statewide
publications, presentations to local bar associations and free
CLEs
for attorneys who
joined VLP.
VLP volunteers also
took to the phones, calling attorneys they knew (or, in
some cases, did not
know) and inviting them to join the VLP. Tom Roberts, a
member of the VLP
Advisory Board, states “I was pleased to be able to
participate in the
recruitment campaign by helping with calls to Pima County
attorneys not already
enrolled as volunteers. No one that I talked to said no.
No arm twisting was
ever required. They listened and signed up. This is, in
my view, an
affirmation of the kind of folks practicing in this community,
and
the reputation of the
program. It was a rewarding experience, as it always is.”
As a result of the
recruitment campaign, 177 new volunteers signed up to
participate in one of the
three VLP programs in Arizona. Michael Anderson,
one of the attorneys who
joined the program during the recruitment campaign,
stated “I felt the
personal need to provide some advice to those that need it.
VLP has a number of
"those in need.” I think that many consumers are finding
a tremendous amount of
conflicting information about their options. I thought
that I could, in a small
way, provide some truthful perspective and options,
good or bad, a few times
a month.” Mr. Anderson also added that “the VLP
staff are incredibly
helpful and friendly, and they make it easy to help in even
the smallest way.”
Attorney Erin Fox also joined the VLP recently. She said
her decision to join was
motivated by her experiences with VLP as a law
student. In addition,
Ms. Fox said that “it is essential for attorneys to
participate in the VLP.
There is an enormous segment of the population
in Southern Arizona that
cannot afford legal representation. The VLP provides
services and clinics that
assist persons who would otherwise never encounter
attorneys, and in doing
so the VLP creates a more equitable and just society
for us all.”
The impact of the 177 new
volunteer attorneys is expected to be great. VLP
estimates that its new
volunteers will generate at least 4,400 additional hours
of pro bono legal
assistance to the low income residents of Arizona. If the
estimated cost of an
attorney is $200 per hour, the financial equivalent of the
value of the new
volunteer attorneys will be $88,000.00. Many of the new
volunteer attorneys
expressed a willingness to volunteer in areas of law in
which the need is
greatest: domestic violence, foreclosure prevention, debt
collection, and
bankruptcy. One new volunteer attorney agreed to provide
weekly telephonic debt
consultations for four VLP clients. During 2009, this
one attorney may assist
as many as 200 low income families troubled by
debts and debt collection
efforts against them.
These new volunteers
joined the ranks of 2200 attorneys who were already VLP
volunteers, many of whom
were inspired to increase their participation in the
program as a result of
the campaign. Today, the VLP is nearly 2400 super-
heroes strong. Although
the campaign was originally scheduled to conclude at
the end of 2008, there
are plans to continue campaign activities into the New
Year in some areas of the
state in an effort to capitalize on the momentum
generated by the initial
campaign efforts. If you’d like to join the VLP, you can
contact Michele Mirto at
(520) 623-9465, ext. 4171 or
mmirto@sazlegalaid.org.
New Volunteer Attorneys
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John
Eli Aboud
Ben
Aguilera
Edwin
Aguilar
Rene
Alcoverde
Lyle
Aldridge
Douglas Alexander
Donn
Alpert
Ron
Altherr
Ramai
Alvarez
Mark
Andersen
Michael S. Anderson
Gabriel Aragon
William M. Bache
Alisa
Bailey
Jason
Barraza
Jeff
Bartolino
Emilie
Bell
Elisabeth Benavidez
Tali
Elizabeth Best
Joseph
M. Bettini
Kristy
Blackwell
Adam
Bleier
Lisa
Bliss
Ricardo Bracamonte
Jeffrey R. Brooke
Christine Brown
Robert
Erven Brown
Brice
E. Buehler
J.
Patrick Butler
Michael Catlett
Michael G. Ciaccio
Mari
Jo Clark
Jose
Antonio Colon
James
Lyman Cork
Steve
Corradini
Steven
Czop
Ana
Cecilia Dabbs
Barry
Davis
Gregory Alan Davis
John
Matthew Derstine
Ashley
Blye DeStefano
Nicki
DiCampli
Andrew
Diodati
Patric
Durazzo
Chris
Dutkiewicz
Jordan
Ellel
Jennifer Espino
Erin
Evans
Joel
Feinman
Elizabeth Fella
Nikia
Lee Fico
Linda
Fisher
Jennifer Fite
Lisette Flores
Erin
Fox
Lance
Francis
Stacy
Gabriel
Robert
Garcia
Richard Gaxiola
Ryan
Gibson
John
T. Gilbert
Rodney
Glassman
Marsha
Goodman
Vicki
Gotkin
Matt
Green
Todd
Hardy
Brian
Harlow
Neil
Harrington
Mary
L. Harriss
Macie
Hawkes
Andrew
Heideman
Celeste Helms
Mari
Herchold
Joel
Herk
John
E. Herrick
Bruce
Heurlin
J.
Ridge Hicks
David
Hindman |
Samantha Hodapp
Tiffany Huffman-Spiers
Jeffrey A. Imig
David
Jackson
Jane
Jacobs
Jenny
Jansch
Lance
Johnson
Launi
J. Jones
Elizabeth Juarez
Jonathan Kaiho
Laura
Kennedy
Michael Kielsky
Jennifer Kindred
Lawrence Koslow
Jerry
D. Krumwiede
Reagan
Kulseth
Brian
Laird
Ryan
Lamb
Jennifer Larson
Steven
Charles Lawrence
Jeff
Levine
Brian
Lougenbauch
Lori
Lundberg
Frances T. Lynch
Michael F. Magee
Matthew J. Mansfield
Jennifer Manzi
John
McClure
Cassandra Meynard
Maricela Meza
Kenneth Neeley
Amy
Nix
Dale
F. Norris
Margaret Olek Esler
Thomas
Pace
Leah
Pallin-Hill
Joel
Parris
Kristel K. Patton
Lydia
Anne Peirce
Mimi
Petro
Marilyn A. Pollard
Patricia A. Premeau
David
Preudhomme
Mark
Allen Raczkowski
Jennifer Rebholz
Jill
Ripke
Lee
Ann Roads
Venus
Sahwany
Paul
Sansone
Rich
Scherb
Daniel
James Schultz
Cynthia Sehr
Chad
Shell
Harmony A. Simmons
Ellen
Simon
Monique Simpson
Vanessa N. Smith
Leonard Sowers
Joe P.
Sparks
John
Stompoly
Rachel
Strachan
Eileen
Sullivan
Pilar
Thomas
Sylvia
L. Thomas
Lenore
Tsakanikas
Sarah
Tschider
Faisai
Habib Ullah
Jason
Van Doren
Phillip B. Visnansky
Michael Wallace
Matt
Walton
Audrey
Wanich
Joseph
Watkins
Suzanne Watts
Tina
D. Wilcox
Kate
Willison
Rachel
Yosha
Ronald
Zack |
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