This prestigious annual award from the Volunteer Lawyers for the Poor Foundation honors outstanding work done on behalf of low-income clients and recognizes a commitment to the Volunteer Lawyers Project (VLP).
Richard and D’Anne were recognized for their work to secure justice for, and protect the legal rights of the needy.
Richard (Rich) Uhle and D’Anne (Dee Dee) Durkee Uhle have been married for 28 years, and have practiced law together in the Batavia, Ohio firm Durkee & Uhle since 1992.
Together, Rich and Dee Dee are two of the VLP’s most prolific volunteers. Rich and Dee Dee have a team approach to their pro bono work, and have worked a combined 45 years to provide quality legal assistance to many low income residents of Clermont County.
Rich graduated from Wittenberg University with a degree in Economics in 1980, and from the University of Cincinnati College of Law in 1983. Rich’s practice focuses on civil litigation and alternative dispute resolution. He is a past President of the Clermont County Bar Association, and a participant in the Ohio Supreme Court Mentoring Program. Rich also is a member of the Ohio Presbyterian Retirement Services Foundation Board, an Assistant Rugby coach at St. Xavier High School, and past President of the Wyoming Golf Club.
Dee Dee graduated from the University of Kentucky with a Bachelor of Music in 1980, and from the University of Cincinnati College of Law in 1983. Dee Dee is a fourth generation attorney in Clermont County, and joined her family’s firm upon graduation from law school.
Dee Dee’s primary practice is real estate and probate law. Dee Dee is a member of the Clermont County Probate Rules Committee and the Clermont County Judges’ Committee on Notaries Public. Dee Dee also is treasurer of the Keyboard Club, a non-profit organization that provides scholarships for piano lessons at the Peaslee Neighborhood Center in Over-The- Rhine, and a pianist at the Wyoming Presbyterian Church and Cincinnati Bible Study Fellowship.
Rich and Dee Dee have accepted a wide variety of pro bono case referrals from the VLP, including numerous contested divorce and custody cases. They have represented individuals seeking Guardianships over impaired family members, and were among the first volunteers when the VLP, Legal Aid and the Clermont County Court of Common Pleas established the Clermont County Foreclosure Mediation Project. Since 2008, they have helped 12 families facing the loss of their homes.
The Volunteer Lawyers for the Poor Foundation thanks Richard and D’Anne Uhle for working so hard to help us achieve our goal of “justice for all.”