As part of the campaign, the VLP sent
brochures to approximately 12,000
Arizona attorneys, challenging them to
get involved. Different counties supplemented these materials with letters from
local judges. The VLP followed up 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. Tom Roberts, a member of
the VLP Advisory Board, was part of that
effort:
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, 179 new volunteers signed up to
participate in one of the three VLP programs in Arizona. Michael Anderson, an
attorney who joined during the campaign, explained why: “I felt the personal
need to provide some advice to those that
need it. 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. Her decision was motivated by
her experiences with VLP as a law student. She added, “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 low-income residents of
Arizona. 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.
These new volunteers joined the ranks
of 2,200 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 2,400 superheroes
strong. Although the campaign was originally scheduled to conclude at the end of
2008, there are plans to continue activities
into 2009 in some areas of the state to
capitalize on the momentum generated by
the initial campaign efforts.
To join, contact Michele Mirto at
AZ
mmirto@sazlegalaid.org.
AT
STACY RUPPRECHT BUTLER is a member of the VLP Advisory
Board and law clerk to United States Magistrate Judge Jennifer C.
Guerin. Her favorite superhero is Michele Mirto, Executive Director for
Southern Arizona’s VLP.
