THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, July 21, 1994 TAG: 9407190157
SECTION: NORFOLK COMPASS PAGE: 08 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JOAN STANUS, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 63 lines
The Norfolk and Portsmouth Bar Association recently recognized two Norfolk attorneys for exceptional pro bono work during 1993.
Cited were Howard Miller, a 42-year-old partner for St. Clair, Miller and Marx and president of the board for the Tidewater Legal Aid Society, and David Anthony, 28, a lawyer who works for the firm Kaufman and Canoles.
Miller was recognized by the association for his work on a divorce case involving a client who had been living on the streets of Richmond. He took on the case just a day before the court was to have entered a final decree. After securing a continuance and a rehearing, Miller eventually succeeded in arranging a settlement that ensured his client received medical treatment and the support needed to find a home. It took more than 50 hours of work - some of which was spent plowing through boxes of medical records - for three months to resolve the matter.
``It was a sad situation,'' the attorney said. ``We wanted an agreement that would be fair to both the husband and wife. It turned out to be a very complicated situation.''
In addition to his work with legal aid, Miller also volunteers for the hot line at the Women's Crisis Center.
Anthony was singled out for planning, organizing and operating a pro bono hot line at the Tidewater Legal Aid Society, initiated last July. Acting on behalf of the Virginia State Bar, Anthony recruited 20 other attorneys as volunteers on a rotating basis to field calls for the hot line twice a week.
The volunteer attorneys serve as a kind of ``triage'' for the society, in that they screen calls for financial eligibility and offer legal advice to the indigent over the phone. In cases needing more attention, the volunteers arrange appointments at the legal aid office.
In the past, it sometimes took weeks before those calling legal aid could get an appointment. Oftentimes, their problems were ones that could be handled over the phone.
``We found that about half the appointments at legal aid can be handled by an attorney over the phone,'' said Anthony. ``Unfortunately, legal aid didn't have the resources to do that. We do.''
Noted Reed Mayo, head of the committee that oversees the pro bono awards: ``This (hot line) is so valuable because now people don't have to wait in an imaginary line. They get help right away.''
In the first four months of the hot line's operation, volunteers fielded almost 250 calls.
In addition to citing Miller and Anthony, the local bar association also recognized three local law firms for their exceptional pro bono contributions in the community: Hofheimer, Nusbaum, McPhaul and Samuels; Moody, Strople and Kloeppel; and Williams, Kelly and Greer.
The Norfolk and Portsmouth Bar Association represents nearly 1,500 lawyers. For the last decade, the group has given awards to its members whose pro bono contributions have been deemed exceptional in fields ranging from bankruptcy and family law to consumer and employment law. ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by LAWRENCE JACKSON
David Anthony and Howard Miller were cited for their community
work.
by CNB