Women to Watch – Lisa Shearman, Hannah Suhr, Gabriele Miller-Wagner, and Courtney Wiggins from Wills for Heroes

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March 31, 2025

During Women’s History Month, Rubin Fortunato celebrates contemporary women leaders who are making a positive difference in our world.  Today, Rubin Fortunato highlights a special group of women – Lisa Shearman, Hannah Suhr, Gabriele Miller-Wagner, and Courtney Wiggins – whose commitment to Wills for Heroes helps ensure that Pennsylvania veterans and first responders – including police officers, firefighters, and emergency medical personnel – have essential estate planning documents such as wills, living wills, and durable powers of attorney at no cost.

Lisa, Hannah, Gabriele, and Courtney describe the Wills for Heroes program with an enthusiasm that is hard to resist.  Wills for Heroes got its start in 2001.  It was originally a national program started by the Wills for Heroes Foundation, a nonprofit, in response to the September 11 attacks and what Lisa described as “the painful realization that many first responders perished without a will or basic estate planning documents.”  Although the national program disbanded in 2023, Pennsylvania’s Wills for Heroes continues to provide first responders and veterans with the peace of mind knowing their affairs are in order in case of an emergency.  With support from the Pennsylvania Bar Association through the Young Lawyers Division and the Pro Bono Office, this volunteer-run organization provides free – “Truly free,” Hannah emphasized – estate planning documents to first responders, veterans, and their spouses throughout the Commonwealth.  They do it by hosting events throughout the Commonwealth.  Almost always held on a Saturday, each event is staffed by volunteer lawyers, notaries, and other individuals who serve as witnesses.  The day begins with two hours of on-site attorney training on the estate planning documents they will create.  Once the training is complete, first responder “clients” begin arriving for pre-scheduled appointments that continue throughout the day.  Each participant (and spouse or significant other) leaves with a full set of signed and notarized basic estate planning documents, including a will, a power of attorney, and an advance health care directive – saving each participant an estimated $1,500 in legal fees.

In December 2024, Wills for Heroes celebrated an impressive milestone: the completion of their 25,000th set of free legal documents.  In 2024 alone, Wills for Heroes held 54 events with 421 volunteers, allowing for 1,700 people to obtain free wills, powers of attorney, and advance health care directives.  With a goal of 70 events for 2025, Gabriele says that they “hope to take it to the next level” and help approximately another 2,800 people throughout the year.

Pulling off a successful event is no small task.  Everything needs to be sourced – the event space, laptops, printers, paper, refreshments, and, most importantly, the volunteers and first responders.  This is where Lisa, Hannah, Gabriele, and Courtney have been most impactful.  Collectively, these dedicated, compassionate, and highly skilled women have devoted countless hours and many weekends over the course of their combined decades of service.  They organize and attend the events, advocate for the program, recruit volunteers, and lead the on-site attorney training.  Their contributions have been integral to the program’s mission and continued success.

What keeps them coming back?  Gabriele herself is a certified EMT who attended her first Wills for Heroes event in 2007 as a participant.  She stayed after her appointment to help and has been “hooked” ever since: “I just fell in love with it and have enjoyed it so much.”  Hannah is a practicing attorney who finds the Wills for Heroes work to be rewarding:  “So much of our job as attorneys is not fun.  Wills for Heroes provides a truly fulfilling opportunity to use our legal skills.”  As busy as these women are with full-time careers and family obligations, Lisa says it’s easy to be motivated “when you remember who we’re doing this for.”  Similarly, Courtney says she keeps coming back because of the really terrific people she meets.  She jokes, “I almost feel guilty having so much fun at a volunteer event!”

Uniformly, Lisa, Hannah, Gabriele, and Courtney agree that what Wills for Heroes needs most is volunteers: attorneys, notaries, and witnesses.  Legal or estate planning knowledge is not required, and, as an added perk, the on-site training that is offered provides each attorney volunteer with two substantive CLE credits and as many as three to five hours of pro bono credit for assisting the clients on a one-on-basis.  But, as Courtney explained, “Anyone can help.  If you are willing to volunteer, we will find a role for you.”

We commend Gabriele, Hannah, Lisa, and Courtney and the Wills for Heroes team for their commitment to serving the needs of first responders and veterans throughout Pennsylvania.

Lisa Shearman is a Partner at Hamburg, Rubin, Mullin, Maxwell & Lupin, P.C., where she chairs the firm’s Estates and Trusts Department.  She is a Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel.  Lisa is a Zone 9 Delegate in the PBA as well as an active member of its Real Property, Probate and Tax Section.  Lisa served as President of the Montgomery Bar Association in 2024.  She received the Verdina Y. Showell Award and the Public Service Award from the Fox Rothschild Center for Law and Society in 2011.  In recognition of her work with Wills for Heroes, Lisa received the 2015 PBA’s President’s Special Achievement Award and the 2014 Milton O. Moss Community Service Award, presented by the Montgomery Bar Foundation.

Hannah Suhr has been involved with Wills for Heroes since she attended her first event as a law student at Dickinson Law.  She currently works as an attorney in Central Pennsylvania and serves as a Statewide Coordinator and Program Director.  She has been involved with Wills for Heroes since 2009 and has served in leadership positions since 2014.  In 2016, Hannah received the PA Bar Association’s Pro Bono Award for her work with Wills for Heroes.  In 2021, she received a PBA President’s Award, and in 2022, she was honored with the PA Bar Association’s Verdina Y. Showell Award in recognition of her work.  As the PBA Young Lawyers Division Chair, Paul D. Edger, explained: “Through her volunteerism, Hannah exemplifies what this program represents,” said Edger.  “Since 2009 while a law student, she has directly helped thousands of people through her contribution of time and expertise to this important initiative.  She also has helped bolster our volunteer list by recruiting others, including her husband and mother, to truly make this a family endeavor.  Her commitment to this community in need is exceptional and this award is well-earned.”

Gabriele Miller-Wagner serves as the Pro Bono Specialist and Statewide Coordinator for the Wills for Heroes Program.  In her service to the PA Bar, she fields thousands of requests for legal help over the course of each year, providing access to justice for the underserved throughout Pennsylvania.  Gabriele received the PBA Pro Bono Partner Award in 2013; the PBA President’s Award in 2015; the PBA Young Lawyers Liberty Bell Award in 2019; and the Pennsylvania Legal Aid Excellence Award in 2021.

Courtney Wiggins, an estate attorney at Clarion Law, serves as the Chester County Coordinator for the Wills for Heroes Program.  She recruits and organizes participants and leads the onsite lawyer training for preparing the estate documents at the events.  She received the PA Bar Association’s Verdina Y. Showell Award in 2017.  Courtney first participated as a volunteer while attending law school in 2011 and has been involved with the organization ever since.