Vol. 76, No. 3, March 2003

"Unnamed Jones" Finds a Name

by Anne Raci

Her name is Latricia. She's a spunky 18-year-old high school senior whose birth certificate read "Unnamed Jones" until last spring.

Her name is Jennifer. She's a Milwaukee native, 2001 Marquette Law School graduate, and litigation attorney at Milwaukee's Whyte Hirschboeck Dudek S.C., where pro bono work is greatly encouraged.

Attorney Jennifer Kopp met Latricia Thompson while providing pro bono legal assistance to In Their Best Interests Inc., a nonprofit Milwaukee organization that advocates for children in foster and kinship care.

Latricia, who lives with her paternal grandmother, Sarah Thompson, ran into problems while trying to change the name on her birth certificate from "Unnamed" to "Latricia." Latricia has been "Latricia" to everyone her entire life, except the state of Wisconsin.

Since Thompson is caring for Latricia alone, there was no one to attest that Thompson is in fact Latricia's grandmother, and the process to change Latricia's birth certificate instantly became more complicated than it would if a biological parent were in the picture. Surprisingly, situations like this are not uncommon. According to attorney Susan Conwell, founder and codirector of In Their Best Interests, in some Milwaukee neighborhoods as many as 20 percent of the children are raised by someone other than a parent. Many of these children are raised by grandparents.

After trying to get Latricia's name changed on their own for nearly two years, Latricia and her grandmother sought legal assistance from In Their Best Interests.

Kopp, whose forté is litigation in a large firm, normally represents businesses and corporations. Being seventh in a line of 11 siblings, however, makes family issues very important to her.

"It's nice to do pro bono work and get a more personal case," she commented. "I think it's important for people to get involved and do things when they can."

Last year, Kopp and Latricia started the process by filing a petition with the court. After getting fees waived, setting a hearing date, and publishing notice of the hearing, the judge approved their request. To Latricia and Kopp's disappointment, the state rejected the change, since Latricia was then a minor and there was no one with the right genetic relationship to consent.

"I wonder how (anyone would) be able to do it without someone helping," Kopp said while recounting last spring's events. "This is an example of the kind of cases In Their Best Interests deals with. The things that come up are things you couldn't even imagine."

Mostly, people just need someone to help guide them through the system. After further navigation, Kopp was eventually successful in legally introducing Latricia Thompson to the state of Wisconsin as Latricia Thompson.

Now, applying for school, jobs, and even a driver's license - anything that requires identification and proof of your name - is as simple as it should have been all along. An ecstatic Latricia hugged Kopp when it was all over; it was one less thing she needed to worry about, Kopp said of the 18-year-old.

There is not much help available for people in these situations. Conwell believes In Their Best Interests fills that niche.

"We're sort of the first thing they think of, or maybe the last thing they find. It's hard to say," Conwell said.

What can be said is that pro bono service brings more than help to people lost in the legal system - it brings hope.

Wisconsin Lawyer