Pro Bono Volunteer of the Month May 2015
Timothy Kuhls of Springel & Fink LLP.
Timothy Kuhls comes from Oklahoma City. He attended Law School at the University of New Hampshire, practiced in Central New Jersey, and then moved to Las Vegas in August, 2014. Before passing the Nevada bar exam, Tim was hired by Lenny Fink, a Partner at Springel & Fink. The partners at the firm encourage their attorneys to take pro bono cases and learn as much as they can when working on them. While waiting to be sworn in, Tim called Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada to inquire about pro bono opportunities. He heard about Legal Aid Center from his girlfriend, a law student at Boyd School of Law, who was working on a pro bono case with an attorney mentor through our Partners in Pro Bono program.
As a new attorney and volunteer with the Pro Bono Project, Tim attended Legal Aid Center’s free CLE training, Basics of Representing Children in Abuse/Neglect. Upon attending training, Tim took his first pro bono case representing three siblings who have been in and out of foster care for many years due to their parents’ issues with substance abuse. Tim is currently representing these clients on the fourth abuse/neglect petition filed against their natural parents. He also represented the children’s interests in a 5-day Termination of Parental Rights (TPR) trial. One of our staff CAP attorneys observed Tim during the TPR trial and commented on the amazing job he was doing to make sure the children’s wishes are heard by the court and their legal interests are protected.
Tim finds his work for Legal Aid fulfilling because he gets to work with kids who need help navigating through the system. When the kids ask him questions, he enjoys educating them about the court system they are now involved in so they are not scared and know what to expect.
For his commitment to representing these three children, and for the time he has dedicated thus far to his first pro bono case, we would like to honor Tim as the May Pro Bono Attorney of the Month.