We at The Legal Intelligencer know that there are many attorneys across Pennsylvania who dedicate themselves to helping their communities through pro bono service, but it seems that too often, these people do not get the thanks and recognition they deserve. In an effort to give those outstanding attorneys a chance to be honored for their efforts, we asked law firms, public interest groups and bar associations from across the commonwealth to tell us about them, these "unsung heroes."

We received dozens of responses detailing the hard work and heart-felt stories of many attorneys, and they were all deserving. The editorial department of The Legal selected the stories below, which feature excerpts from each individual or group's nomination, for being those that stood out above the rest.

Brenda L. Marrero
Community Legal Services Inc.

In 2009, CLS staff attorney Brenda L. Marrero worked tirelessly to get widow's benefits for her client, contacting eight different jurisdictions across the country to prove her client was never divorced.

After her husband died, a 67-year-old disabled client came into Community Legal Services asking for assistance in filing an appeal for a denial of widow's benefits. Ms. G had been married for years to her now-deceased husband. They separated in the 1970s but never divorced. Ms. G filed for widow's benefits through the Social Security Administration and was denied because SSA stated she was not his legal spouse at the time of his death.

CLS filed an appeal and researched SSA regulations regarding entitlement to widow's benefits. The SSA case handler notified Marrero that the only way to prove Ms. G was still married to her husband at the time of his death was to obtain certifications from every jurisdiction in which he lived, proving he never filed a divorce decree.

Marrero contacted the family court of each city the deceased husband lived in to find out how to obtain a certification that a Dissolution of Marriage/Divorce Decree was never filed. Marrero made points of contact within each family court to ensure the proper fees and documentation they required was submitted.

In the end, eight different jurisdictions were contacted and Marrero successfully obtained certifications from each, proving her client's deceased husband never did in fact divorce her. Ms. G was awarded over $25,000 in back benefits from SSA, as well as ongoing monthly benefits that are nearly twice her income prior to receiving widow's benefits. Because of Marrero's efforts, Ms. G is now able to remain financially stable and has significantly improved her quality of life.