“I started volunteering with the Humane Society because of my love for dogs,” said family law attorney Tracy Krall.
For more than six years, Tracy Krall has been volunteering her Sundays at the Arizona Humane Society. “I needed a calming outlet,” she said. Working as a family law attorney for more than 18 years, Krall is no stranger to a stressful work environment. “I help match the shelter dogs with loving families. They are in a vulnerable position,” she said of the rescues “and helping the homeless animals simply makes me happy. Ask anyone who knows me, it changed my demeanor and transformed me.”
Having passed the volunteer docent program in 2011, Krall has a more in-depth understanding of the organization. “As a docent, we are called upon to work on special events, outreach programs and some of the more involved tasks at the shelter.”
Krall volunteers with the Arizona Humane Society because of the range of services they offer. She is also passionate about the organization’s mission, which is to improve the lives of animals, alleviate their suffering and elevate their status in society. They help all animals – cats, dogs and critters. And, over the years, Krall admits that she has come to be a zealous advocate of pit bulls, educating the community on how great these dogs truly are.
Krall’s desire to help extends to her law practice as well. After graduating from the University of Akron School of Law in 1996, Krall immediately began practicing family law.
“I worked for several firms before I was ready to go out and hang my own shingle,” she said. But, three years ago, the timing seemed right. She founded Krall Law Office, PLLC in 2011.
“After working for others for almost 15 years, it was refreshing to go out on my own with that experience and go to bat for my clients,” she said. “As a solo practitioner I answer my own phones, make my own copies, lick my own envelopes. I’m not sure the word delegate is even in my vocabulary.”
When assessing the culture she’s created at Krall Law Office, she says her priority is on achieving results for her clients. “I want to navigate them through the system, of course,” she said. “But it’s more than that; it’s working toward their goal – whatever that may be.”
Beyond her own caseload, Krall makes time to participate in the Family Lawyers Assistance Project. “I was encouraged to volunteer by a colleague,” she said. “After my first session, I was hooked.”
An active member since 2002, Krall has been able to help the more than 80 percent of individuals who enter family law matters unrepresented in Arizona. Following each consultation, Krall says the litigants are always grateful for the guidance. “It makes the volunteer work extremely rewarding.”
Her own practice is not without gratitude, though. Following the recent resolution of a divorce case, one of Krall’s former clients came back with a gift in hand. “She brought me a Native American burden basket,” Krall said. “My client explained to me that these baskets were tools for carrying kindling and other burdensome items. The basket she gave me was her way of thanking me for carrying her burden in her stressful divorce case.”
In November, Krall was honored to receive the 2014 Attorney of the Year award from the Arizona Family Support Council. “I had no idea I was going to receive it,” she said. “It was an honor and a reflection of all my hard work.”
Looking ahead, Krall is excited to keep balancing her life between her ideal career and the volunteer work that drives her.
