Remembering "Jamie" Schubert

July 06, 2010
Contact: Lara Slifko
PDFPrint Press Release

Less than 4 years ago, a young local attorney, Jonathan “Jamie” Schubert passed away. At 41, Jamie had his own law practice, served as a judge pro tem and was a member of the Arizona Trial Lawyers Association. His parents, Roy and Lynn Schubert, knew that Jamie had a passion for justice. They established the Jonathan Schubert Memorial with the Arizona Foundation for Legal Services & Education. Funds from the memorial assist with loan assistance programs for public service attorneys, LawForKids.org programs, supporting agencies who provide legal aid and scholarships for Sandra Day O’Connor Law School students.
 
In the past few years, may worthy recipients from ASU have received the memorial scholarship.   They each were proudly carrying on the Schubert name by devoting their law school experience “with passion, determination and an independent spirit to the fight for justice.”
 
The Schubert Memorial’s most recent recipient, Matthew Binford, also exemplifies the way Schubert lived. Two major unfortunate incidents in Matthew's life sparked his interest in public service and specifically criminal justice. In 1995, his uncle was murdered in Phoenix and three years later, his niece, nephew and brother-in-law were murdered during a home invasion robbery in Georgia. He studied criminal justice topics at the University of Arizona and served his free time as a volunteer canine agitator for law enforcement agencies as well as a note-taker for disabled students. After graduating, he was accepted to the Teach For America program, which places recent college graduates in low income communities to teach for a two-year period. He was assigned in South Central Los Angeles then East Las Vegas. He was very involved in his students' lives, both inside and outside the classroom. He was rewarded for this by being selected New Teacher of the Year for the Clark County School District. Currently, he serves as President of Wills For Heroes, Vice President of the Community Advocacy Protection Program, Curriculum Director on the Youth Mentoring Board, a Student Ambassador in the Admissions Office, a mentor with the National Hispanic Bar Association, and as Law Student Coordinator of the Maricopa County Teen Court. He states that he plans to spend the rest of his life using his education and experiences to continue to serve the public.
 
This July 12th, Jamie would have turned 45 years old. His family still feels his loss with each passing day, but know that his spirit is kept alive by the men and women fighting for justice.
 
For more information on the Schubert Memorial and the past recipients, please visit http://www.azflse.org/azflse/memorials/memorial_jps.cfm