For three decades, Wanger Jones Helsley attorneys have served not only clients but the communities where they live and work. Across Fresno, Sacramento, and the wider Central Valley, that commitment shows up as charitable sponsorship, pro bono legal service, legal education, and civic leadership. This article explains how the firm gives back and why community service has been part of its identity since it was founded in 1995.
TL;DR
- Wanger Jones Helsley organizes its community work around four pillars: philanthropy, pro bono legal service, legal education, and civic leadership.
- The firm invests roughly $52,000 in Central Valley community events each year, and its attorneys serve on nonprofit, bar, and industry boards.
- WJH was named Pro Bono Firm of the Year at the Fresno County Bar Association Law Day 2026.
- The firm earned Bee's Best of Central California, Gold for Employment and Labor Law, voted by Fresno Bee readers.
- The firm was founded in 1995 and traces its service tradition to founder Hon. Oliver W. Wanger.
How is Wanger Jones Helsley involved in the community?
Wanger Jones Helsley organizes its community involvement around four pillars: charitable sponsorship, pro bono legal service, legal education, and civic leadership. Each reflects the same commitment to strengthening the Central Valley, and together they extend the firm's work well beyond its casework. The firm invests roughly $52,000 in community events each year, and its attorneys give time as sponsors, volunteers, mentors, and board members across the region.
The four pillars take these forms:
- Philanthropy: annual sponsorship of Central Valley nonprofits spanning health care, youth, and family services.
- Pro bono service: attorneys take on pro bono matters through court-appointed programs and partnerships with legal-aid nonprofits.
- Legal education: continuing founder Oliver W. Wanger's work at San Joaquin College of Law through teaching, board service, and mentorship.
- Civic leadership: attorneys serve on bar association, nonprofit, and industry boards that shape the future of the region.
Rather than spreading its support thin, the firm concentrates on institutions with deep local roots, which is part of what has given it a durable presence across Fresno County and the surrounding Central Valley.
What organizations does Wanger Jones Helsley support?
Wanger Jones Helsley supports Central Valley organizations through both financial sponsorship and attorney board service, concentrated in health care, children's services, and the legal community. The firm's giving is directed at long-standing local institutions, and its attorneys back that financial support with their own time and leadership.
Representative sponsorships include:
- American Heart Association, for the Central Valley Heart and Stroke Walk and Heart and Stroke Ball.
- Alzheimer's Association, for the Walk to End Alzheimer's in Fresno and Clovis.
- Valley Children's Hospital, as a sponsor of the La Feliz Guild Derby Down fundraiser.
- Fresno City College Athletics.
- Ronald McDonald House, for events including Grills for Good and Meals from the Heart.
Taken together, the firm's sponsorships span health care, children's services, legal education, the professional bar, and industry, and they reach across both of the firm's home markets in Fresno and Sacramento. That breadth reflects a deliberate choice to invest where the firm's attorneys live and practice.
Does Wanger Jones Helsley do pro bono work?
Yes. Wanger Jones Helsley attorneys take on pro bono matters through court-appointed programs and partnerships with legal-aid nonprofits, and the firm was named Pro Bono Firm of the Year at the Fresno County Bar Association Law Day 2026. The recognition, presented at the Law Day Luncheon, honored the firm's sustained access-to-justice work, including matters serving veterans across the Central Valley.
The firm's pro bono commitment rests on a simple belief: high-quality legal representation should not be limited to those who can afford it. That principle guides which matters the firm takes on without charge, and it reflects a broader view that the legal profession is strongest when lawyers use their skills not only to advocate for clients but also to strengthen the communities where they live and work.
What is Wanger Jones Helsley's connection to legal education?
Legal education is one of the four pillars of Wanger Jones Helsley's community work, a commitment that traces directly to the firm's founder. Hon. Oliver W. Wanger helped found San Joaquin College of Law, an independent law school serving the Central Valley, to expand access to legal training in a region far from the state's large metropolitan law schools.
The firm continues that work today through teaching, mentorship, and board service. Attorney Deborah K. Boyett serves on the San Joaquin College of Law Alumni Association Board, and firm attorneys contribute to the school and to the development of newer lawyers across the region.
Investing in legal education strengthens the same Central Valley legal community the firm practices in. A region with a strong local law school produces the next generation of its judges, advocates, and public servants, which is why the firm treats support for legal education as a core commitment rather than an occasional activity.
What community recognitions has Wanger Jones Helsley received?
Wanger Jones Helsley's community and professional work has been recognized both for pro bono service and for the quality of its practice. These recognitions reflect the firm's dual commitment to serving clients and strengthening the Central Valley legal community.
The firm's community recognitions include:
- Pro Bono Firm of the Year, from the Fresno County Bar Association at Law Day 2026, for sustained access-to-justice work.
- Bee's Best of Central California, Gold for Employment and Labor Law, a community recognition voted by Fresno Bee readers.
- Leadership in legal education, through faculty and board service at San Joaquin College of Law, continuing founder Hon. Oliver W. Wanger's legacy.
Individual attorneys have earned community recognition as well. Riley C. Walter has been recognized by the local Boy Scouts chapter, and Deborah K. Boyett received the 2023 AAF Fresno J.U. Berry Award. These honors reflect a culture in which community service is pursued by the firm's lawyers individually, not only under the firm's banner.
Why does community service matter to Wanger Jones Helsley?
Service has been part of Wanger Jones Helsley since its founding in 1995, and the firm treats community investment as an extension of the values its founder built into the practice. Founder Hon. Oliver W. Wanger built a career defined by public service, from the United States Marine Corps Reserve to the federal bench, and helped found San Joaquin College of Law to strengthen legal education in the Central Valley.
That commitment did not stop at the courthouse door. WJH attorneys carry it forward today, contributing time, expertise, and financial support to the people and institutions of the region. The firm treats community investment not as an add-on but as a core part of how it practices.
Underlying all of it is a belief that a strong legal community and a well-served public reinforce each other. Sponsoring a local nonprofit, mentoring a law student, chairing a charitable board, or taking a pro bono matter are, in the firm's view, different expressions of the same responsibility that comes with practicing law in a community.
That outlook has shaped the firm across three decades. As Wanger Jones Helsley has grown from its Fresno origins to an office in Sacramento, its community commitments have grown with it, tying the firm's reputation not only to the outcomes it wins for clients but to the institutions it helps sustain across the Central Valley.
How can organizations partner with Wanger Jones Helsley?
Organizations across the Central Valley can partner with Wanger Jones Helsley for sponsorship, pro bono counsel, or board leadership. The firm works with nonprofits, professional associations, and community institutions throughout Fresno, Sacramento, and the surrounding region, and it welcomes conversations with groups seeking support.
Common ways organizations engage the firm include:
- Requesting event or program sponsorship for a Central Valley nonprofit.
- Seeking pro bono counsel for an eligible matter.
- Inviting an attorney to serve on a nonprofit or association board.
Because the firm concentrates its giving locally, these partnerships tend to be ongoing relationships rather than one-time contributions, which is part of what gives the firm its deep roots across Fresno County and the wider region.
FAQ
How is Wanger Jones Helsley involved in the community?
Wanger Jones Helsley attorneys serve the Central Valley through charitable sponsorships, pro bono legal work, legal education, and civic leadership. The firm invests roughly $52,000 in community events each year, and its attorneys serve on bar association, nonprofit, and industry boards across Fresno and Sacramento.
Does Wanger Jones Helsley do pro bono work?
Yes. Wanger Jones Helsley attorneys take on pro bono matters through court-appointed programs and partnerships with legal-aid nonprofits. The firm was named Pro Bono Firm of the Year at the Fresno County Bar Association Law Day 2026 for its sustained access-to-justice work in the Central Valley.
What organizations does Wanger Jones Helsley support?
Wanger Jones Helsley sponsors and serves organizations including the American Heart Association, the Alzheimer's Association, Valley Children's Hospital, Fresno City College Athletics, and Ronald McDonald House. Firm attorneys also hold board roles with the Fresno County Bar Association and the American Heart Association's Central Valley Chapter.
Has Wanger Jones Helsley been recognized for community service?
Yes. Wanger Jones Helsley was named Pro Bono Firm of the Year at the Fresno County Bar Association Law Day 2026. The firm has also earned Bee's Best of Central California, Gold for Employment and Labor Law, from Fresno Bee readers.
Who founded Wanger Jones Helsley?
Wanger Jones Helsley was founded in 1995. Its founder, Hon. Oliver W. Wanger, built a career in public service that included the United States Marine Corps Reserve and the federal bench, and he helped found San Joaquin College of Law to strengthen legal education in the Central Valley.
What is Wanger Jones Helsley's connection to San Joaquin College of Law?
The firm's founder, Hon. Oliver W. Wanger, helped found San Joaquin College of Law, an independent Central Valley law school. Firm attorneys continue that tie through teaching, mentorship, and board service, including a seat on the school's Alumni Association Board.
Where does Wanger Jones Helsley focus its community work?
Wanger Jones Helsley focuses its community involvement on the Central Valley, centered on Fresno County and extending to Sacramento, where the firm has an office. Its sponsorships, board service, pro bono work, and support for legal education are concentrated in the region where its attorneys live and practice.
The bottom line
Wanger Jones Helsley's community involvement runs along four consistent tracks, philanthropy, pro bono service, legal education, and civic leadership, backed by roughly $52,000 in annual community investment and by attorneys who lead nonprofit and bar organizations across the Central Valley. That work has been recognized with Pro Bono Firm of the Year honors and a Bee's Best of Central California award, but its real measure is a service tradition that runs from the firm's 1995 founding to the boards, classrooms, and charitable events its attorneys support today.