Ellen Jackson, Sarah Wixson Named Volunteer Attorneys of the Year

Dec 06, 2017   Print PDF

Related Practices: Agriculture, Employment and Estate Planning & Administration

Stokes Lawrence Velikanje Moore & Shore attorneys Ellen Jackson and Sarah Wixson were named 2017 Volunteer Attorneys of the Year by Yakima County Volunteer Attorney Services (VAS). VAS provides referrals to volunteer attorneys for qualified low-income clients in designated civil cases. The organization is affiliated with non-profit organizations that work to provide a variety of services throughout Yakima County.

Ellen worked with the fiancé of a deceased woman who was shot when reporting to work one morning. Ellen arranged for the fiancé to be appointed personal representative of the deceased woman’s estate. She also secured the proceeds from the woman’s life insurance policy, ensuring they were distributed and reserved for her two young children, ages 3 months and 5 years. Ellen’s assistance helped stabilize the financial future of these young children left without their mother.

Sarah has been actively working and promoting the VAS clinic, called Lawyers in the Library. She coordinated with all of the speakers and the librarian to schedule presentations, and helped promote the clinics where 116 people have been educated. Topics have included vacating records, debtor’s rights, landlord-tenant disputes and immigration. Sarah has also been busy assisting 30 families living in a mobile home park in Mattawa, Wash., after a plan by the owner of the park to defraud its tenants became public.

Stokes Lawrence has a long history of pro bono legal work and community service. The firm has been recognized as one of the top 75 Corporate Philanthropists by the Puget Sound Business Journal for six years. In 2016, the firm was named one of PSBJ’s top eight Corporate Champions.