The Children’s Law Center (CLC) has selected Melissa S. Ho, a shareholder of Am Law 100 firm Polsinelli, as the recipient of the 2017 Children’s Law Center Clinic Award. The award was presented to Ho at the Community Legal Services 65th Anniversary celebration, in recognition of her pro bono service on behalf of the CLC’s guardianship clinic program.
“Melissa is instrumental in making certain the guardianship clinic program has continued in the midst of many changes over the past year,” said attorney Roni Tropper, the Children’s Law Center program coordinator. “Not only has she dedicated her time to overseeing complex guardianship cases, but she has also worked to streamline our clinics so more people can be served.”
In her role Ho has provided legal advice to family members who file for minor guardianship of children living in their homes. Without a parent or guardian, children cannot be enrolled in school or obtain medical treatment. Family members wanting to serve as guardians receive guidance at the clinic on how to take the necessary and often complex legal steps to ensure the child for whom they are caring for has access to basic necessities, such as schooling, housing and medical care.
“I am grateful for the opportunity to help the families and children served by the CLC’s guardianship clinic” Ho said. “The clinic fills a critical need in our community and is vital to ensure family members are able to care for the children in their lives.”
Ho is a trial attorney with a detailed understanding of government regulations and international business. Born in Hong Kong and as a former prosecutor, Ho works as a liaison between the business and litigation professional both in the United States and in Asia to formulate comprehensive plans in response to contract disputes and government inquiries.
Ho was recently selected by the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights to serve a four-year term on the Arizona State Advisory Committee (SAC), assisting with fact-finding, investigative and information dissemination related to the enforcement of civil rights laws. She also volunteers on several other committees through the State Bar of Arizona, the Arizona Women Lawyers Association and the Arizona Asian American Bar Association. Ho is the recipient of a number of distinctions, including being named two years in a row to Benchmark Litigation’s “Under 40 Hot List.” She earned bachelor’s degrees in Chinese and Biology from Arizona State University and her J.D. from the University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law.
About Polsinelli
Polsinelli is an Am Law 100 firm with approximately 800 attorneys in 20 offices. Ranked #17 for Client Service Excellence1 and #10 for best client relationships2 among 650 U.S. law firms, Polsinelli was also named among the top 20 best-known firms in the nation3. The firm’s attorneys provide value through practical legal counsel infused with business insight, and focus on health care, financial services, real estate, intellectual property, mid-market corporate, labor and employment, and business litigation. www.polsinelli.com | Polsinelli PC | In California, Polsinelli LLP
12017 BTI Client Service A-Team Report
22017 BTI Industry Power Rankings
32017 BTI Brand Elite
About the Children’s Law Center
The Children’s Law Center was established in 1998 by the Volunteer Lawyers Program (VLP) and is co-sponsored by the Maricopa County Bar Association and Community Legal Services. Its goal is to address the unmet legal needs of children. Over 120 attorneys from firms throughout the Phoenix metropolitan area volunteer each year to fill gaps in legal assistance for children of diverse ethnic, racial and economic backgrounds. Current programs include Free Advice Clinics for Teens, the Court Advisor Project, the Minor Guardianship Project, the Guardianship Clinic, Teens at Work, the Adoption Project and Medical Legal Partnership.
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