DVAP - Volunteer of the Month

Kendall is a Member at Cozen O’Connor. Since beginning her legal career in 2003, Kendall has volunteered an average of 60 hours each year representing pro bono clientele. Because Kendall enjoys working with Spanish-speaking clients and is bilingual, 95% of Kendall’s pro bono clients speak Spanish as their primary language. Her pro bono experience includes staffing DVAP legal clinics in order to counsel Spanish-speaking prospective clients, and representing clients in probate, family law, and commercial litigation matters. Her representative cases include regularly translating testamentary documents into Spanish, successfully filing and obtaining petitions for non-disclosure, completing name changes for both adults and minors, finalizing divorces, and successfully litigating commercial litigation cases on behalf of Spanish-speaking clients. Thank you for all you do, Kendall!

Noel Chakkalakal is a patent attorney at Research in Motion, helping to prosecute complex electrical, computer and telecommunications patents, and assisting with related litigation. Noel has distinguished himself in the pro bono arena by attending nearly every weekly clinic at the Housing Crisis Center and offering advice to applicants regarding their various landlord-tenant issues. "My time with the HCC has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. We see individuals and families facing difficult and often heartbreaking circumstances, and we do our best to help. Often, we provide legal advice to solve a problem, and sometimes, we help by just talking to them about their situation. Serving the Dallas community with other members and volunteers of the HCC has been educational and inspirational, and I look forward to continuing to serve," Noel says. Thank you, Noel!

Mike Regitz is an Intellectual Property attorney with Fulbright & Jaworski L.L.P. Along with Dan Scott of Gardere Wynne Sewell L.L.P., Mike coordinates the Veterans Legal Clinic that is held at the Dallas VA Medical Center on the first Friday of each month. The first Veterans Legal Clinics were sponsored and staffed by DVAP, Fulbright, and Gardere, but Mike is thankful that now other lawyers, law firms, and corporations are joining in the effort to help our veterans. After each clinic, Mike and Dan work with DVAP and their respective firms to try to get as many veterans’ cases placed as possible by tapping into an ever-growing network of attorneys willing to handle a veteran's case on a pro bono basis. Mike represents veterans in cases generated from the Veterans Legal Clinic and has also helped staff other DVAP legal clinics in South Dallas and East Dallas. Mike hopes that more lawyers will contact him and join the Veterans Team. Thank you, Mike!

Jodie Michalski is an associate with Jones Day, specializing in labor and employment law. Along with assisting at the South Dallas Clinic, she has completed several no-children, no-property divorces, adoptions, and custody cases, along with one divorce involving children and property. Of these DVAP cases, the most rewarding included a recent custody case, which was referred to Jones Day on an emergency basis.

The custody case involved two girls, ages 8 and 16. Their father was murdered in the spring of 2008, they lost their mother to cancer a few months later, and then, in August of 2009, their maternal grandmother was killed in a car accident. Throughout these tragedies, the girls' aunt (their mother's sister and the DVAP client) had been their rock; at only 28 years old, she quit her job and put her life on hold to take care of her nieces. She even helped to re-establish the girls’ relationship with their paternal grandparents, whom they had not seen regularly since their parents' separation several years earlier.

In January 2010, the girls' paternal grandparents sued for custody. In their petition, the grandparents tried to cut the aunt out of the girls' lives completely. Jones Day attorneys Jeff Orkin, Angie Boliver, and Jodie helped her to retain custody of the girls. When Angie and Jodie talked to the girls, it became clear that their aunt was a second mother to them. Jodie felt that it was incredibly important that the girls be allowed to remain with their aunt in the stable, loving environment that she provided.

Angie and Jodie gathered information and deposed the grandparents and a paternal aunt. At the deposition, they were able to gain a number of useful admissions - such as the fact that the aunt took good care of the girls, loved them, provided for them, and had not prevented them from seeing the grandparents. The attorneys were able to use this information to their advantage at the temporary orders hearing. In fact, the judge ultimately awarded the grandparents less than standard visitation. The following week, Jodie received a phone call from the grandparents' attorney asking to settle. Jodie and her colleagues were able to work out an arrangement that was satisfactory to all parties and allowed the girls and their aunt to move on with their lives.

Jodie describes the cases she has taken through DVAP as among the most rewarding of her legal career. Jodie states, “I feel privileged to have had the opportunity to work on these cases and to serve the interests of such deserving clients.” Thank you for all you do, Jodie!

Star Carter is a fourth-year corporate associate in the Dallas office of Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP. Star has always had a passion for giving back to those less fortunate and utilizing her law degree to assist those less fortunate in the local community. She began taking on DVAP pro bono cases in her first year of practice, and she recently served as the 2010 Weil Gotshal Lend-A-Lawyer in the DVAP office. Star regularly volunteers at DVAP legal clinics and has handled several pro bono matters including name change, divorce, adoption, guardianship, wills, contract disputes, and asylum matters. As a corporate transactional attorney, Star enjoys representing large institutional clients in mergers and acquisitions and other private equity transactions. However, she enjoys practicing different facets of law as well as acquiring courtroom experience in her capacity as a pro bono attorney. Some of her favorite moments as a pro bono attorney include when she obtained asylum for a client that had endured years of abuse in his native land based on his sexual orientation and when she successfully completed an adoption for grandparents who desperately needed to legally adopt their grandchildren for medical reasons. “There is no better feeling than when your pro bono client is on the verge of tears and is hugging you and thanking you for the positive outcome you achieved for him or her,” she states. On her recent assignment as a 2010 Lend-A-Lawyer with DVAP, Star states: “DVAP is a wonderful place to work and help out those who could not otherwise afford legal assistance. As an attorney in the DVAP office, I got to personally witness how much the DVAP employees and volunteers change their clients’ lives for the better. I am truly fortunate that Weil and DVAP afforded me such a wonderful opportunity.” Thank you, Star!

Vynessa Nemunaitis is a corporate attorney with Fulbright & Jaworski L.L.P. She volunteered full-time with the Dallas Volunteer Attorney Program before starting her career at Fulbright. During that time, Vynessa helped with administrative matters and volunteered at the monthly clinics and CLE training programs. Specifically, Vynessa served as a liaison between DVAP and Dallas attorneys who volunteered for cases, and responded to the questions and concerns of DVAP clients. Vynessa currently volunteers her time at the newly-established Veterans Affairs Clinic, which is sponsored by Fulbright and Gardere Wynne Sewell LLP. At the VA Clinic, she processes and interviews veterans, advising them on various legal issues. Through this monthly clinic, Vynessa and other volunteers provide legal assistance to Dallas’ well-deserving veteran’s community. Thank you, Vynessa!

Nina Orendain is a Staff Attorney at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP. Recently, Nina has focused on taking as many of the Spanish-speaking clients’ cases for the drafting of Warranty Deeds in support of future Pro Se Divorces, Small Estate Affidavits, and Wills and Powers of Attorney as she can. She enjoys meeting with clients and seeing how appreciative they are of the working through their documents with explanations in their native language. She also enjoys taking the Warranty Deeds for clients who do not need the Spanish language support because her experience with those has been very straightforward and simple. As a transactional attorney, she has occasionally needed guidance in the probate area, and has found the DVAP probate mentor attorneys responsive and helpful. “I am truly grateful and appreciative because DVAP provides the resources and support that allow me to truly give back to our community, in small ways, one person at a time. It feels so good to be able to do good with my legal and language skills,” Nina said. Thank you for all you do, Nina!

Ellen Bennett is an attorney with Miller & Bennett. She practices in probate, estate planning, adult guardianships, and family law, and is pleased to volunteer regularly with DVAP. A strong advocate for pro bono, Ellen spoke at the June 2010 DVAP Summer Clerks’ Luncheon and encouraged law students to become involved with DVAP: “Providing pro bono legal services offers an opportunity to help our clients through what is likely the worst time in their lives. We have the ability to make clients’ lives a little better, and that is something they will remember forever.” In addition to handling family law and probate matters for DVAP, Ellen has volunteered at the Equal Access to Justice Campaign phone bank and has presented at DVAP Wills and Guardianship CLEs. After Ellen took her first pro bono cases, she began attending DVAP staffing meetings as a probate mentor with her partner, Barkley Miller, and enjoys being a part of the DVAP team. Thanks for all you do, Ellen!

Leah Lambert is an Associate at Patton Boggs LLP. She has been a DVAP volunteer attorney since 2005, and has focused mainly on estate planning and divorces. Leah appreciates the assistance of DVAP’s mentor attorneys, who are available to answer questions and help guide volunteer attorneys through the process. “The work I've done for DVAP is some of the most rewarding work I've done in my legal career. DVAP's volunteer attorneys are able to make a significant impact on the lives of our clients, and the clients are genuinely appreciative of our services. Some of these clients have had negative experiences with lawyers in the past. For others, their visits with me are the only exposure they've ever had (and perhaps ever will have) with the legal profession. Either way, I try to make their experience with me as positive as possible. I doubt they realize how much I appreciate the opportunity to help them. It's wonderful to actually see the difference I can make. DVAP attorneys change people's lives for the better and that's an amazing thing,” says Leah. Thanks for all you do, Leah!

Nicola Shiels is an associate at Patton Boggs, LLP. Since 2002, Nicola has actively volunteered with DVAP by representing individuals in cases involving family law, collections, and estate planning, and serving as an intake attorney at the South Dallas and East Dallas clinics. Nicola’s DVAP cases over the past nine years have included divorces, adoptions, wills, powers of attorney, and suits in state court asserting violations of the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act, Texas Debt Collection Practices Act, and breach of contract. In the past two years, the majority of Nicola’s volunteer hours aided clients in divorces, half of which involved minor children. Thank you for all you do, Nicola!

Marsha Hunter is a sole practitioner who has been volunteering with DVAP for several years. She strongly believes that it is our responsibility as attorneys to ensure that the justice system works for the economically disadvantaged, as well as for those who have resources. The Dallas Volunteer Attorney Program has given her the opportunity to help individuals in our community who really need and deserve help. “I do not know of any other organization that has done as much to change the lives of others for the better in this way, and I am delighted to be able to be a part of that effort,” Marsha says. She has taken several contested family law cases and probate cases. “The DVAP staff screens the clients they send to me, so much of the initial work has already been done when the client comes to my office for their first interview. The DVAP mentor attorneys are always available to answer questions and provide guidance, forms, and other resources. Volunteering with DVAP does not take a great deal of time, and the rewards are great. I intend to continue to volunteer with DVAP in the years to come and encourage other attorneys to do so,” Marsha states. Thank you, Marsha!

Eric Navarrette is an associate with the Denton office of KoonsFuller. Prior to moving to Dallas, he was recognized as the John Crews Pro Bono Lawyer of the Year by the Lubbock County Bar Association and the Legal Aid of Northwest Texas Equal Justice Volunteer Program. He began volunteering with DVAP in January 2010, and has focused his pro bono efforts on compelling family law cases. He strives to continue representing those in need throughout the year. Most recently, he had the good fortune of representing a dedicated father against the child's maternal grandmother who was attempting to take advantage of her daughter's (the mother's) untimely death. But for DVAP, his client may not have had access to the representation necessary to ensure that he would not be separated from his beautiful daughter. Thanks to Eric’s assistance, ultimately the maternal grandmother's case was dismissed. In Eric’s experience, the gratitude pro bono clients express can be characterized by the following quote: "To the world you may be one person, but to one person you may be the world.” – Anonymous Thank you for all you do, Eric!

Rani Guerra is a Corporate Finance Associate with Patton Boggs LLP. She has volunteered with DVAP since 2006. Since January 2008, she has donated over 250 hours in pro bono time. She has handled over twenty simple uncontested divorce cases, often finalizing them at DVAP’s monthly evening prove-ups at the courthouse, and regularly interviews clients at South Dallas Clinic. Rani would like to thank her assistant, Darlene Taber, for her tireless help and support on pro bono matters. Thanks for all you do, Rani!

Matt Leung is a deferred associate who will be starting with Weil Gotshal & Manges in January. He has been working full-time at DVAP since May 2011 and plans to continue doing so until he begins his commercial litigation associate position at Weil. During his time with DVAP so far, he has assisted with client interviews at the VA Clinic, and taken on cases in the areas of adoption, probate, estate planning, guardianship, mortgage disputes, a timeshare contract dispute, and a landlord/tenant matter. Thanks for all you do, Matt!

John O’Connor is a commercial litigation associate in the Dallas office of Weil, Gotshal & Manges, where he also serves as a member of the firm’s Pro Bono Committee. John has volunteered at DVAP intake clinics since 2007, conducting client interviews throughout the Dallas area. John is currently working full-time at DVAP through Weil’s Lend-a-Lawyer program, where, for three months, he is dedicating his time solely to working on DVAP cases and staffing DVAP clinics while the firm pays his salary and benefits. John is currently working on a wide range of DVAP cases, including several in the areas of family law, probate, landlord/tenant disputes, and consumer law, both at the trial and appellate level. Thank you for all you do, John!

Lisa Blue Baron, of Baron & Blue, has been a committed volunteer with the Dallas Volunteer Attorney Program for many years. She has always enjoyed giving back and helping to provide legal services to those in need. In particular, she has utilized her fluency in Spanish to provide much-needed assistance to DVAP’s Spanish-speaking population. Lisa has contributed her time to DVAP by using her Spanish to interview clients at the West Dallas Legal Clinic, participated in conducting Spanish Pro Se Assisted Divorce Program classes, and helped to finalize family law cases for Spanish-speaking clients at DVAP’s monthly Prove-Up Clinics. Thank you for all that you do, Lisa!

Rhonda Hunter is a distinguished family law attorney, operating a solo practice. Throughout her career, Rhonda has been dedicated to pro bono service. She is Board Certified in Family Law and finds time to dedicate considerable hours to DVAP, where she has been a regular volunteer for many years, handling divorce and custody cases. Rhonda also took on the task of mentoring other pro bono attorneys when DVAP launched the Conflict Panel in 1999. She continues to serve as Conflict Panel Attorney Mentor on conflict of interest matters and ad litem cases, and lends her family law expertise to DVAP training opportunities, such as the annual Family Law Nuts & Bolts seminars. Thank you for all you do, Rhonda!

Camille Reed is a sole practitioner in Dallas. In February of 2009, she attended the Family Law Nuts and Bolts Seminar, where she obtained her first DVAP family law case. Since then, she has taken several family law cases a year. Recently, she has also taken a couple of wills cases and a probate case through DVAP. Camille states that all these have been great learning experiences. Thank you for all you do, Camille!

Jeffrey Moore is an attorney with Terremark, a Verizon Company. He started volunteering at the Garland Clinic in 2008 after attending DVAP’s New Lawyers’ Luncheon. In 2010, he began volunteering on a regular basis at the South Dallas Clinic and accepting various divorce cases. He tries to have at least one case open at a time. In 2011, he was named the Outstanding Clinic Attorney for the South Dallas Clinic. Thank you for all you do, Jeffrey!

Christina L. McCracken is a litigation attorney with Gordon & Rees, L.L.P. She is a native of Dallas and practiced law for several years with her late father, Howard C. McCracken, Jr. Christina states, “My father was an honorable attorney. After he died, I heard many stories from judges, attorneys and former clients of his just and fair handling of cases and how cared for the legal needs of those in poverty.” During law school, Christina volunteered with Legal Aid and had success in obtaining social security benefits withheld for years from a client. Unfortunately, the day the favorable decision came granting the benefits, she was notified that her client had died from the medical condition. This event impacted Christina’s motivation for immediate redress for those in poverty. When her law career brought her practice to downtown, she became involved with DVAP. According to Christina, “DVAP is an exceptional organization with the most talented and dedicated attorneys and staff.” In the spring of 2008, Christina spoke about the range of services offered to the poor through DVAP to a group of international lawyers during an International Visitor Leadership Program. Christina is the 2009-2010 Vice-Chair of the DBA Pro Bono Activities Committee and has served on the Equal Access to Justice Campaign Committee. “Volunteering with DVAP has brought me some of the most exciting and memorable experiences in my practice of law. In fact, I understand I am the first DVAP volunteer attorney to deliver a baby during a DVAP client’s mediation: Gregory (5 lbs. 7.1 oz.) born in November 2008.” Thank you, Christina!

Karl Larson is an intellectual property associate at Gardere Wynne Sewell LLP. He has been taking cases through DVAP for the past three years, and especially enjoys landlord-tenant and consumer matters. In one case, he was able to collect a security deposit and treble damages for a low-income applicant. In another case, Karl represented the plaintiff in a lawsuit involving real property—seeking specific performance by the defendant to turn over equitable title to a house won in radio station contest. He represented the plaintiff at the preliminary injunction hearing and negotiated a $100,000 settlement from the radio station sponsoring the contest. Karl brought these two appreciative clients to meetings of the Dallas Bar Association Community Service Fund Board to share their stories. Thanks for all you do, Karl!

Kevin Ross is a criminal defense attorney with the law firm of Sorrels, Udashen and Anton. He serves as a DVAP mentoring attorney in the area of expunctions and petitions for nondisclosure. Since 2008, Kevin has volunteered his time in serving the needs of those seeking to have their eligible criminal cases expunged or sealed from public disclosure. He has presented CLE training to other DVAP attorneys desiring to handle expunctions and nondisclosures for those in need of cleaning up their criminal history. This service has proved beneficial to clients in helping them find employment. Kevin has also volunteered his time speaking at the Children’s Justice Project classes for children at risk or on probation. Thanks, Kevin!

Janice McCorkel is a sole practitioner in Mesquite, specializing in family and probate law. She has also served as a part-time municipal judge in Mesquite for the past seven years. She assists DVAP in adoption and custody cases through the DVAP Conflict Panel, often as a guardian ad litem. Her goal is to always be working on one or two cases at a time. Janice is appreciated by the DVAP staff as she is willing to take cases on short notice and has never turned down our requests for help. Thank you, Janice!

Irv Queal is a sole practitioner who has worked with DVAP for years representing clients in adoption and divorce proceedings. As part of his representation of divorce clients, Irv assists with DVAP's divorce prove-ups on the second Tuesday of each month. Additionally, Irv has contributed to DVAP's attorney training program by speaking at the DVAP family law training sessions. Irv counts it as a privilege to work with the DVAP staff to assist the many people who seek help through DVAP. Thank you, Irv!

Kara Altenbaumer-Price is the Director of Complex Claims and Consulting at USI Southwest. As soon as she arrived in Dallas in 2004, she began volunteering monthly at the South Dallas Clinic, as well as the Housing Crisis Center clinics her firm staffed on a quarterly basis. She later started taking on DVAP cases for full representation and made a personal commitment that she would always have at least one pro bono matter on her docket at all times, and more when her caseload allowed. She has taken divorces, landlord-tenant matters, consumer cases, contract disputes and name change cases. In Kara’s opinion, DVAP has given back to her as well. Not only has it given her an outlet to feel good about helping out her community, it has also helped her in practical ways. DVAP has given her courtroom experience that is difficult to obtain and the opportunity to do work outside litigation. Kara states, “My DVAP cases have been some of my most rewarding legal experience—not because the cases or legal issues are complex, but because the people I’ve worked with really needed and appreciated the help. I feel that in some small way, I’m helping to correct some of the inequities in our community—a few individuals at a time. I am very grateful to DVAP for giving me that opportunity and making it so easy to do rewarding pro bono work.” Thank you for all you do, Kara!