Vanderbilt Register:Posner Foundation recognizes Vanderbilt alumnus, student for legal aid efforts

Posner Foundation recognizes Vanderbilt alumnus, student for legal aid efforts

by: Ann Marie Deer Owens

A Vanderbilt University School of Law alumnus and a third-year law student at Vanderbilt have been honored by the Gene & Ruth Posner Foundation for their significant contributions to legal aid.

Ashley T. Wiltshire Jr. received the foundation's Alumni Pro Bono Award for his outstanding work with the Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee, where he has served as executive director since 1976. The organization provides free legal aid in civil cases to low-income individuals.

Wiltshire's professional memberships include the American Bar Association's Commission on Homelessness and Poverty and the National Legal Aid and Defender Association. He has received numerous awards and honors, including the President's Award from the Nashville Bar Association and the Distinguished Service Award from the Council of Community Services.

Wiltshire earned his J.D. from Vanderbilt in 1972. He was a lecturer in Christian education (law and religion) in the Vanderbilt Divinity School from 1988 to 1995.

Kendall Kelly of Allentown, Pa., is the recipient of the foundation's Student Pro Bono Award. Kelly was executive director of the Vanderbilt Legal Aid Society during the 1996-97 academic year. The campus organization works with traditionally under-represented populations to improve their access to the legal system.

"Kendall was particularly active in seeking stipend funding for student summer internships in legal service organizations and in identifying appropriate students to receive the awards," according to Kent D. Syverud, dean of the Vanderbilt School of Law. "She enlisted student and faculty support for stipends through the Public Interest Stipend Fund Auction, which raised a record $11,000 under her guidance."

Kelly earned her bachelor's degree from Emory University and is a candidate for the J.D. in May 1998.

The Gene and Ruth Posner Foundation was founded in 1963 by Gene Posner, an attorney in Milwaukee, Wis., to benefit mankind in science, art and literature, religion and education. One of the foundation's areas of interest is raising public awareness of the free legal services (pro bono) that lawyers provide for those in need. The foundation also recognizes the need to educate other attorneys and law school students of their duty to perform pro bono services.

"Our profession has been slow to respond to the need for pro bono attorneys," according to Jeffry Posner, vice president of the foundation. "Statistics reveal that only 20 percent of the legal needs of the poor are being met."

He said the foundation has made a commitment to continue to promote pro bono activities through its seminars and awards to lawyers and students at Vanderbilt and other law schools throughout the country.

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