Subscribe to Our Newsletter

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
Alaska Legal Services Corporation

Alaska Legal Services Corporation

Access to Justice in Alaska

Free Self-Help Website: Alaska Law Help
  • About ALSC
    • Leadership
    • Careers
    • Programs and Projects
    • 50th Anniversary
    • News
  • Client Services
    • Consumer
    • Domestic Violence
    • Elder Advocacy
    • Family Law
    • Health
    • Housing
    • Public Benefits
    • Veterans
    • Alaska Native Law
  • Apply For Help
    • Eligibility
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Paper Application
    • Additional Resources
  • Community Justice Worker
    • Register
    • Resources
    • News
  • Pro Bono
    • Why Pro Bono
    • Become a Pro Bono Volunteer
    • Current Pro Bono Opportunities
    • Volunteer of the Month
  • Support Us
    • Make a Donation
    • Ways To Give
    • Cy Pres Awards
    • Jammin’ For Justice
    • GivingTuesday
  • Clinics and Events
    • Event Calendar
    • Landlord and Tenant Helpline
  • Contact Us
Join ALSC's Mailing List!

ALSC News

January Volunteer of the Month: Sam Fortier

Filed Under: ALSC News, Homepage Featured, Volunteer of the MonthJanuary 15, 2019

ALSC’s first Volunteer of the Month for 2019 is the amazing Sam Fortier! Sam has truly made a difference in the lives of ALSC’s clients through his long and passionate pro bono career. We are so appreciative to have Sam’s expertise and dedicated advocacy for our clients! Read on for Sam’s interview with ALSC:

Why did you choose to volunteer with ALSC?

I first began volunteering in 1983. I enjoy meeting folks and I especially enjoy not having to worry about billing people, especially folks who can’t pay but need a lawyer. Then, a few years ago, I learned that ALSC provides malpractice coverage for volunteer lawyers on a case by case basis, and that made all the difference. I also know a number of people who cannot afford lawyers. I refer them to ALSC, telling them to tell Nikole or Laura that I will represent them. It is a good feeling when the call comes in from ALSC that so and so has been referred to me.

What are some of your experiences at ALSC that have made a positive difference in the lives of others and the community?

One of my first cases involved a young man with muscular dystrophy who wanted to raise his infant daughter. For some reason, she had been placed out of state in Colorado with a foster family, apparently for adoption. We were successful in establishing my client’s (fundamental) right to raise his daughter. Although my client died a few years ago, his daughter grew into a healthy, productive young woman, nourished by her father’s love.

For a number of years, I volunteered with ALSC and Alaska Native Justice Center for triage at Brother Francis Shelter and met some remarkable people who had enormous problems with just locating help. I hope I made a difference with some of those lives. One of my proudest accomplishments was teaming up with ALSC to win, after many years, an allotment case in Katmai National Park. We also shined a bright light on the horrible treatment of the family over a number of generations. 

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

Without question, the experiences are unlike any that most lawyers worrying about billable hours can imagine. For a lot of folks, life has been pretty tough. I think I have learned more from the pro bono work I do about simply surviving and appreciating life in all its textures.

What do you do when you are not volunteering with ALSC?

I am a grandfather of a 9-year old girl. My wife, Dagmar, and I have been married for 34 glorious years and we have practiced together for 33 years.

Although I cannot dance a step, I am president of the Alaska Classical Ballet Academy, where my granddaughter has learned to dance beautifully. I was raised in Anchorage and Fairbanks. I became a VISTA after college with the assistance of Governor Egan, in the days when Nixon was killing the old Office of Economic Opportunity. Serving in Vista was almost as good as being an ALSC volunteer. 

ABOUT US

Alaska Legal Services Corporation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides high quality free civil legal services to low-income Alaskans in need. Since 1967, ALSC’s services have reached thousands of Alaskans and their communities to protect their safety, their health and promote family stability.

 

QUICK LINKS

Client Services
Eligibilty Guidelines
Apply for Help
Upcoming Legal Clinics
Additional Resources
Volunteer with ALSC
Careers
Support ALSC
Community Justice Worker Program
Contact Us

CONNECT

Facebook Instagram Twitter LinkedIn YouTube

Join ALSC's Email List
Legal Services Corporation Logo
AmeriCorps Logo
United Way Logo

Copyright © 2025 Alaska Legal Services Corporation · All Rights Reserved
Website by Tomatillo Design · Disclaimer and Accessibility Statement