Lawyer Referral and Information Service Committee presents the 2008 Hotline Attorney of the Year Award to

 

Michele L. Perreault, Madison

The Lawyer Hotline Program is a public service component of the Lawyer Referral and Information Service that has been in operation for more than 20 years. Hotline attorney volunteers answer simple legal questions over the phone, allowing callers to better assess whether they wish to hire a lawyer or use the resource information provided to them. People who call the LRIS are often referred to the Hotline when they need a general explanation of the law. Most Hotline questions include topics attorneys address in the general practice of law, including landlord/tenant, small claims, and consumer issues.

Each year, the LRIS committee recognizes an individual attorney or law firm which has provided long-term, continuous service to the Lawyer Hotline program. Many of the participating attorneys, including Attorney Michele Perreault, have been active in Lawyer Hotline since its beginnings. Perreault is the coordinating attorney for the Hotline volunteers at DeWitt, Ross & Stevens, and fields calls on scheduled Hotline callback times. She has also been willing to step in and make calls to cover for colleagues with last minute emergencies. The Hotline program is successful largely due to the consistent, continued work of volunteers like Perreault.

Perreault is an associate attorney at DeWitt Ross & Stevens in Madison. Her practice covers three primary areas: family law, litigation, and city prosecutor. In the area of family law, Perreault concentrates on divorce, domestic partnerships, and adoptions, and has secured important rights for non-marital partners. A successful civil and criminal litigator in jury and bench trials, Perreault is also experienced in negotiations and mediation. She currently serves as prosecutor for the City of Fitchburg and Village of Brooklyn. Perreault litigates cases in both trial and appellate courts.