Lawyers take pro bono cases to honor attorney who died in Red Rock Canyon hiking fall

Dozens of local attorneys are taking on pro bono cases to honor a former colleague whose life was cut short in a May hiking accident.

Melanie Kushnir, who served as director of a local pro bono project for five years, died May 28 at age 42 in a tragic accident at Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area.

“It’s been incredibly touching,” said Barbara Buckley, executive director of the Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada. “People have contributed funds and labor.”

Friends and colleagues described Kushnir as an unwavering advocate for access to justice for the needy with a knack for innovation.

Kushnir worked to recruit attorneys to take on pro bono cases for people that couldn’t otherwise afford representation. One of Kushnir’s successful ideas, said Buckley, was to pair attorneys working pro bono with a Legal Aid Center mentor that specialized in the practice area of a case. Kushnir’s team also assembled packets and sample forms to make it easier for attorneys working outside of their regular area of law.

Under Kushnir’s leadership, the Children’s Attorneys Project was able to grow from representing 441 children in 2013, to 888 children in 2015.

IN HER HONOR

Buckley said she remembers interviewing Kushnir for the job and being impressed by her background working in public interest law, at a law school and with the American Bar Association Center for pro bono.

Buckley said the interviewers first thought was that she was perfect. Their next thought, Buckley said, was that she wouldn’t leave a prestigious Chicago job to work in Southern Nevada.

But she did.

“She wanted to run a program,” said Buckley.

To commemorate Kushnir, the center has also established the Melanie Kushnir Access to Justice fellowship. About $18,000 has been raised for the fellowship, which will be open to law students with an interest in pro bono issues nationwide.

Kushnir’s innovative spirit will continue through the paid summer fellowship. Applicants will be asked to submit a proposal to improve access to justice in Southern Nevada or increase pro bono participation. The fellow would work on policy issues and learn how to recruit pro bono lawyers.

Buckley said the pro bono program currently represents about 888 foster children. Hundreds of people are helped each month with quick consultations, Buckley added.

“We’re interviewing for a new pro bono director, and it’s hard because you’re dealing with your grief,” Buckley said.

LASTING LEGACY

Bethany Sanchez, North Las Vegas’ chief deputy city attorney, does pro bono work in her free time and said she recently took on a case to honor Kushnir.

“I thought that was the best way to honor her memory because that was the cause that she was so passionate about,” Sanchez said.

Sanchez said Kushnir had a way of reenergizing attorneys caught in the daily bustle.

“Melanie just embodied that and reminded you, ‘this is why you’re here,’” Sanchez said.

Josef M. Karacsonyi, a partner with Dickerson Law Group, said Kushnir was always looking for “new offerings for the attorneys in the community and for the pro bono project.”

One of those ideas resulted in an upcoming event: “As Judges See It: Top Mistakes Attorneys Make in Family Court.”

Attendance at the August workshop, which features a panel of family court judges, counts as credit toward mandatory training hours attorneys are required to receive.

The event is free — as long as attorneys pledge to take on one pro bono case with the Legal Aid Center.

“The impact she had on pro bono and the community cannot be overstated,” Karacsonyi said.

A TRAGIC DAY

On a Saturday afternoon in late May, Kushnir slipped off a steep cliff and was nearly saved by 49-year-old Sean Randles, who told her, “I got you, I won’t let you go,” before both tumbled down, according to another hiker who was present that day and interviewed by the Review-Journal.

Contact Alexander S. Corey at acorey@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0270. Find @acoreynews on Twitter.