|
Tanner
B. Kilander,
arts '97, law '02
 Serving
the poor through the law has been a career focus for Tanner Kilander even longer than she has been a lawyer. While earning her Marquette law degree,
she met with then Law School Dean Howard B. Eisenberg to discuss
a model for delivering legal services to the poor.
Benefiting
from Eisenberg’s insights, Tanner played an integral role
in conceiving and developing the Marquette Volunteer Legal Clinic,
a walk-in legal information and referral service for people who
have no other access to legal information.
Located at
the House of Peace at 17th and Walnut in Milwaukee, the clinic is staff by 30–40 lawyers
who volunteer in rotations, assisted by Marquette law
students, and is supported by both the House of Peace and the Law School. Since the clinic opened in January 2002, it has served
more than 2,000 clients.
"For me," Tanner
says, “every night at the clinic is an adventure. It
is also incredibly humbling to realize that 10 minutes with
an attorney
truly changes the lives of our clients. My work at
the legal clinic is the best part of my professional life and
I am
lucky to have the opportunity to do it.”
Tanner
combines this volunteer commitment with her active solo practice,
representing the best interests of children in Milwaukee County
Children’s Court as a guardian ad litem. “My job
is the best job I could imagine,” she says. “I get
to advocate for what’s right, for what’s safest and
best for kids.”
|
