After Betsy Sathers's husband, Scott, died in the collapse of the I-35W bridge in Minneapolis in August 2007, she wanted nothing to do with attorneys. But when the confusing insurance paperwork started to pile up in the months that followed, Sathers, 33, heard through a network of victims' families that a group of lawyers was offering legal services free of charge. "At that time I thought, 'How on earth could these people be doing this for nothing?' " Sathers says. Skeptical of the lawyers' motives, Sathers had both her father and father-in-law call to "check out" Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi partner Chris Messerly. He was helping coordinate the efforts of firms working pro bono for victims and their families. Sathers met with Messerly shortly thereafter in October and was impressed. "I saw the sincerity in his eyes," she says. "It was more than just a case for him. It was a passionate cause."