Alaska Legal Services Corporation is happy to honor Dan Burton as the 2018 February Volunteer of the Month! Dan is ALSC’s go-to guy for pro bono wills. He is always willing to go the extra mile for his clients, and sometimes travels to the client’s home, nursing home, or hospital to ensure they get the help they need.  Read more about Dan and his experience as a Pro Bono volunteer below:

Why did you choose to volunteer with ALSC? 
I help ALSC because financial considerations make it hard for people to keep up with things like wills and probate that are very routine and simple, yet are very necessary to make things go smoothly at a difficult time.

What are some of your experiences at ALSC that have made a positive difference in the lives of others and/or the community?
I have done a few wills, some probates,  some very simple real estate litigation a while back.  These are things that help people smooth out the circumstances surrounding death.  People are always thankful, and I have never felt taken for granted by the clients or ALSC.  The people I have dealt with in connection with ALSC have all been down-to-earth, practical people.  Not a lot of drama, even though at time drama would have been justified.

How do you think your experiences with ALSC will benefit you in the future? 

Even agreeing to be Volunteer of the Month, troubles me  a little.  (See Mathew 6:3  – not as a religious matter, merely as an ethical precept.)  Primarily it just feels good to help when so little effort on my part can make people feel a little better in a trying time.  

What do you do when you are not volunteering with ALSC?
I passed the bar in 1978.  I still find the puzzle-solving aspect of law to be gratifying – that and dealing with working class people. I have been on some non-profit boards: recycling, employment, and  services for developmentally disabled people.