Attorneys honored by Legal Aid Society

Two Tri-City attorneys committed to helping those in need were recognized Friday for donating numerous hours in legal aid.

Tom Roach and Bronson Brown were honored by the Benton-Franklin Legal Aid Society at the ninth annual attorney recognition luncheon in Kennewick.

"It's our opportunity to say thank you for all the attorneys and others who serve and help with legal aid in the Tri-Cities," said Robert Schultz, board president. "We have one of the best -- if not the best -- legal aid program in the state."

The Legal Aid Society is a nonprofit organization that helps low-income clients who might otherwise be denied access to legal help.

This year, 49 attorneys volunteered their services making it possible for the Legal Aid to handle 131 cases with full representation and assist 4,500 clients through phone calls, walk-ins and referrals.

"Your work is vital," said Cesar Torres, executive director of the Northwest Justice Project. "The benefits that flow from this kind of assistance from your volunteer efforts are life-changing ... and many times life-saving."

Roach, a veteran Pasco immigration attorney, received the Al Yencopal Award, which is named for the longtime Benton-Franklin Superior Court judge who died in 1993.

He was singled out for completing eight full immigration cases this year.

"It's hard for me to say no because there's a lot of need out there," Roach said. "Legal Aid is a great program and there are tons of people out there who need help. I thank God for the local attorneys who are part of the program."

Roach has been practicing immigration law in Pasco since 1983 and said it has given him a chance to meet people from 120 countries.

"It's satisfying. It's a very complicated area of law," he said.

Brown is an attorney at Bell Brown & Rio who currently is the West Richland city attorney and represents the Kennewick and Grandview school districts. He was honored for volunteering at the monthly family law class.

He received the Gene Schuster Award, named in memory of the longtime lawyer who took pro bono work for Legal Aid and helped plan attorney seminars to generate money for the organization.

Brown, who's been practicing since 2003, helps families fill out paperwork and understand the court process.

He's helped 49 clients so far this year.

"The reason why I went into law is to help people," Brown said. "Legal Aid helps fill that need -- just to be able to help those who can't help themselves."

Brown also encouraged the community to support Legal Aid, which is underfunded but fills a need in the community.

Two attorneys are typically honored each year for their pro bono work, but "this year we had so many people do so much," said Judge Vic VanderSchoor, a Legal Aid board member.

Three lawyers -- Dave Peterson, Kolleen Ledgerwood and John Schultz -- received certificates of appreciation and $50 restaurant gift cards for their work.

The organization also presented a "certificate of thanks" to attorneys who took on three or more cases this year. They are: Pat Chvatal, Katherine Sierra-Kelly, Allison King, Kari Hayles-Davenport, Ben Dow, Steven Defoe and Sal Mendoza.