Indignant about injustice.
That was the phrase repeatedly used to describe Don as Regional Housing Legal Services staff, friends, and family came together on Friday to celebrate the career and upcoming retirement of Donald Marritz, an attorney in the Pennsylvania Legal Aid Network (PLAN) for 40 years.
Marritz has proven an invaluable member of the RHLS team since he joined in 2007. Prior to joining RHLS, Don was a staff attorney at MidPenn Legal Services in the Gettysburg office for many years. He is an adjunct at Penn State-Dickinson School of Law where he teaches a course on poverty law. Don is a graduate of Swarthmore College and the University of Colorado Law School.
One of his most notable professional accomplishments includes challenging the legality of the Office of Inspector General. Although no lawsuit was filed, Marritz’s letter to the governor’s general counsel led to enhanced oversight and more rigorous standards of conduct for Office of Inspector General agents investigating allegations of welfare fraud to prevent bullying of those who receive public assistance.
A key aspect of Marritz’s career has involved the care and mentorship of young legal professionals. Former RHLS staff member, Will Shuey, said that Don was a key mentor that, “showed him how to be a legal services attorney, and an attorney in general.”
Don’s willingness to share his passion for the profession most notably was passed on to his son, who is already a public-interest attorney, doing farmworker law, and his daughter, a second year law student with a public interest scholarship at New York University. Both cited their father as an inspirational force for their own career choices.
His passion for his work and determination to share his knowledge with others has made him a leading advocate for low-income Pennsylvanians.
