In January 2012, the Denver-based civil litigation firm of Wheeler Trigg O’Donnell (WTO) donated $10,000 through its charitable foundation to the NITA Foundation to support scholarships. We are grateful to the firm for its generosity and commitment to advocacy skills training.
WTO’s gift to the NITA Foundation will be used to fund the full tuition for 10 public service attorneys to attend NITA’s 2012 Colorado public programs including: Building Trial Skills: Rocky Mountain; National Session; and Deposition Skills: Rocky Mountain. In addition, WTO’s donation provides need-based travel accommodations for these scholarship recipients.
NITA runs almost 15 regional trial programs and 30 deposition programs in geographically diverse cities all over the United States. Thanks to donor support from WTO, NITA will be able to provide 10 public service lawyers representing the impoverished with the opportunity to train side-by-side with attorneys from private law firms. Hopefully, other firms across the country will follow in WTO’s footsteps as regional donors.
“The NITA Foundation is so appreciative of this pacesetter donation from the Wheeler Trigg O’Donnell Foundation as we begin this exciting new pilot-giving opportunity,” said John Baker, President of the NITA Foundation. “I cannot stress enough how valuable NITA’s ‘learning-by-doing’ trainings are to attorneys and advocates who serve indigent or disadvantaged populations. Our hope is that these new scholarships will pave the way for more advocates of justice to reach new heights in their skills to advance advocacy and promote justice,” said Baker.
According to WTO Managing Partner, Hugh Gottschalk, “WTO is pleased to support the NITA Foundation in its efforts to award scholarships to worthy public service attorneys to attend NITA public programs here in Colorado. Our firm is committed to giving back to the community and we admire NITA’s mission to advance advocacy and promote justice.”
NITA’s team of practicing lawyers, professors and judges from around the nation dedicates its efforts to the training and development of skilled and ethical legal advocates to improve the adversarial justice system. 
