Pro Bono Volunteer of the Month – May 2023

Timothy Wiseman of Ocampo Wiseman Law

Tim joined the Army after completing an undergraduate degree in mathematics. After attending Officer Candidate School, he commissioned as a Military Intelligence Officer. He then deployed to both Iraq and Afghanistan.  Tim’s work in Afghanistan got him interested in the study of law. Afghanistan’s first democratic elections occurred while Tim was in Afghanistan. Tim observed a rare view of a society in transition, or at least attempting to transition, forms of government. This open Tim’s eyes to how important the government and its legal institutions could really be even in day-to-day life.

With his wife’s strong support, he started law school soon after separating from the Army. While in law school, Tim worked as a programmer and database administrator to help support his family. After graduating law school and passing the bar, he joined Morris Law Center. There, he worked on a variety of civil law matters including business and real estate litigation, but his main practice is appellate law. Morris Law Center quickly elevated Tim to junior partner and the firm’s name was changed to Ocampo Wiseman Law.

 Ocampo Wiseman Law, originally known as Morris Law Center, has been working with Legal Aid of Southern Nevada since its origins in 2015. The firm has always believed in the importance of giving back to the community.

We asked Tim why he does pro bono work and his answer was the following: “At the risk of being slightly melodramatic, I sincerely believe that access to justice for all helps make the world a more fair and justice place. I think that by providing pro bono assistance, I can help make the world a more just place even if only by a tiny amount”.

One of Tim’s most memorable pro bono stories is a client who he represented when his sister tragically passed on. His father attempted to set a friend as the administrator and to claim the entire estate through probate, but Tim’s client timely submitted a pro se objection. The Court failed to consider the objection at all and instead issued an order making the friend the administrator of the estate and presumptive only heir without a hearing and without giving any consideration at all to the objection. Tim’s client brought an appeal in a pro se capacity but asked for assistance of pro bono counsel.  Working with the Nevada Supreme Court’s Pro Bono program and Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada, Time volunteered to to take the case pro bono.

It took extensive discussions with the opposing counsel to persuade them, but eventually they determined that the matter would be best resolved through a Honeycutt remand to allow the District Court to hold a hearing on the matter. This allowed Tim’s client to have his day in Court and correct the error at the lower level. It was also something of a learning experience to Tim since despite his extensive appellate work it was the first time in his career that he had used the procedures for a Honeycutt remand. Tim is grateful at the opportunity to have assisted his client with his case. Had this not been done through pro bono, they client may not have been able to obtain the much needed assistance on his case.

We are proud to have Tim on our side representing cases in our Pro Bono Project. Tim’s selfless and compassionate dedication to those in need makes him the great pro bono attorney he is. We are pleased to name him our Pro Bono Volunteer of the Month of May.