Sarah Isabel is a 30 year old mother of 15- month old twin daughters, a loving wife, an invaluable Troutman Sanders associate and for most of her life an advocate for society's most fragile members: the elderly, teens, and individuals who are HIV positive.

Sarah is a corporate lawyer in the Firm's Trusts and Estates Practice Group. This year, Sarah billed more than 1800 hours and has provided 200 pro bono hours. During the past 5 years, Sarah has provided over 700 hours of pro bono legal services to Atlanta's poor and disadvantaged citizens.

Troutman's strong commitment to providing pro bono services attracted Sarah to the Firm in 2002. Upon joining the Firm, she immediately volunteered to participate in the Firm's pro bono program assisting non-profit tax exempt organizations and estate planning for low-income elderly individuals and emergency service personnel. When she noticed that these projects' infrastructure needed more organization, Sarah volunteered to coordinate them and to author a How-To Manual on forming tax exempt organizations. When the volunteer lawyer panel lost members, Sarah volunteered to train other lawyers at the Firm. Sarah recently said, "Non profit organizations are so appreciative of our pro bono assistance. Many would not know how to get started without our help; their funds are limited and some have problems paying the filing fees. Their excitement over receiving a letter from the IRS notifying them of their 501 C (3) status is amazing. Seeing the relief in their eyes and knowing they can now open their doors to battered women and abused children is satisfaction times twenty."

In 2004, the Atlanta Legal Aid Society asked the Firm to assist seniors in protecting their Medicaid benefits and to set up Medicaid Irrevocable Qualified Income Trusts (sometimes called a "Miller Trust"). Once Sarah became aware of the problem, she attended a training and together with another Troutman associate coordinated this project for the Firm. Together they trained more than 35 other lawyers and paralegals to prepare trusts for these seniors. Since 2004, over 1,000 pro bono hours have been devoted to this project.

Sarah also volunteers her time to prepare wills and advance directives (living wills, healthcare powers of attorney, and general powers of attorney) for metro Atlanta low income residents, senior citizens and persons with HIV/AIDS. She recruits and trains other lawyers to participate in this worthwhile project. Atlanta Volunteer Lawyers Foundation assists with the administration of this project.

As a member of the Firm's Atlanta Office Pro Bono Committee, Sarah encourages and mentors young associates, meeting regularly with new associates in the Corporate and Real Estate Sections encouraging them to become involved in the Firm's pro bono program. Sarah was a recipient of the Firm's 2004 Chief Justice Harold G. Clarke Award in recognition of her outstanding achievement in pro bono contributions.

Most recently, Sarah volunteered to head up the Firm's Cancer Pro Bono Project, a joint effort with the American Cancer Society and Atlanta Legal Aid Society. Through this alliance, the law firm will provide free basic estate planning services on a pro bono basis to low-income individuals with cancer in the Atlanta metropolitan area. "Estate planning is an essential part of dealing with a life threatening illness," said Sarah. "However, it is frequently overlooked or avoided because of cost and a lack of education about end-of-life or incapacitation decision making." Sarah trained 15 Troutman Sanders lawyers and paralegals to participate in this project.

In law school Sarah also volunteered her time in Teen Court, an alternative for teens accused of misdemeanors. In this program, teenagers act as lawyers and jurors and sentence offenders to Community Service. As part of their sentence, offenders return to Teen Court as a juror or lawyer. Sarah worked with the jury and the lawyers and sometimes acted as a judge. Following law school, Sarah clerked for the U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals, where she volunteered her time at a local food shelf in Cleveland.

Sarah Isabel's involvement in pro bono activities underscores her importance to the pro bono culture at Troutman Sanders. If you asked Sarah why she does pro bono work, she likely would reply that a lawyer's job description includes providing legal assistance to the unrepresented. As law firms require their associates to bill increased hours, more and more associates are finding it difficult to take on pro bono matters. Sarah's advice to them: "…..make sacrifices, stay up late, come in early or work week ends. If helping those who are less fortunate is part of who you are…then, it is part of your life." She asks, "What can you do with one hour a day?"