NATIONAL CONFERENCE OF WOMEN'S BAR ASSOCIATIONS

Annual Public Service and
Outstanding Member Program Awards

The community of lawyers has a long-standing commitment to providing pro bono legal services to the poor and underserved. The members of women’s bar associations individually, and often as a group, strive to provide their legal expertise to help those most in need. Anyone who answers the telephone for a women’s bar association knows that many members of the public and, indeed, of the legal profession, assume that women lawyers will want to take on pro bono work for any woman or child in need of legal services. There is an enormous unmet need. Recognizing that the needs of the community extend beyond those for legal services, many women’s bar associations engage in a variety of charitable activities, ranging from clothing and food drives, educational support and fundraising for battered women’s shelters.

For the most part, the good works of individual attorneys and bar associations go unnoticed by all but the beneficiaries. Once each year, the National Conference of Women’s Bar Associations (NCWBA) chooses great projects of member organizations as a way of thanking the associations involved for their work and as a way of showcasing ideas which might be suitable for adoption by other groups. The very first NCWBA Public Service Award was presented to the Black Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles and the Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles by US Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor on July 8,1985 as part of a “Women in Law” reception at the Supreme Court. The groups were honored for their work in founding and supporting the Los Angeles Buhai Center of Family Law.

Following is a list of those associations honored for their outstanding public service projects. Much of the following text is taken from nominating materials.

Select a date from the list below to view that year's Public Service Award recipient:

Public Service Award

Hawaii Women Lawyers - "Mother's Day Program"

Montgomery County Women's Bar Foundation - "Preparing for Success"

Women Lawyers Section of the Birmingham Bar Association - "Children's Library for Family Court"

Honorable Mention:  Prince George's County Chapter of the Women's Bar Association of Maryland - "Project for the Support and Mentorship of Female Juveniles at Thomas J. S. Waxter Children's Center"

Outstanding Member Program Award

California Women Lawyers - "So, You Want to be a Judge?"

Georgia Association of Black Women Attorneys - "Professional Development Academy"

Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles - "Joint Task Force on the Retention and Promotion of Women Lawyers"

Honorable Mentions

Lawyers Club of San Diego - "Political Boot Camp"

Arizona Women Lawyers Association - "Secrets of Success"

The 2009 Public Service and Outstanding Member Program Awards were presented on July 31, 2009 at  a luncheon sponsored by the National Foundation for Women's Bar Associations at Jenner & Block, LLP,

330 North Wabash, Chicago, IL. 

2008

2008 Public Service Award

Florida Association for Women Lawyers:  “Breakfast and Books Project”
Broward County Women Lawyers Association (FAWL Chapter):  “Breakfast and Books Project”
Georgia Association of Black Women Attorneys: “Civil Pro Bono Wills Project”

Honorable Mentions

Birmingham Bar Association Women Lawyers Section:   “Bunny Bag for Child Victims of Domestic Violence Project”
Georgia Association for Women Lawyers: “Girl Scout Law and Order Badge Project”

2008 Outstanding Member Program Award (First Year for this Award)

Lawyers Club of San Diego: “The Balance Campaign” and “The Balanced Life Summit 2007”
Hillsborough Association for Women Lawyers:  Judicial Recruitment Committee and “Path to the Judiciary Program”
Tallahassee Women Lawyers:   Three-part Women’s Professional Empowerment Series entitled “From the Courtroom to the Boardroom:  Best Practices for Women to Excel”

2007

Association for Women Lawyers of Greater Kansas City for its Step-Up for Women program; The first “Step-Up for Women” was organized to provide an opportunity for women in the Kansas City metropolitan area who are most in need to meet with volunteer legal professionals, to obtain legal representation, and to work toward resolving outstanding municipal violations from the Kansas City, Mssouri Municipal Court.

Georgia Association of Black Women Attorneys (GABWA) for its Sister to Sister Mentoring Program; On June 24, 2000 . GABWA established the Sister to Sister Mentoring Program in conjunction with the Futon County Juvenile Court and the Georgia Supreme Court Commission on Equality. This all-volunteer, non-profit, community-based program was designed to intervene in the lives of teen girls who have entered the Fulton County Juvenile Court System for either truancy or other non-violent status offenses. The program has evolve and now accepts teen girls from other referral sources as well as girls not yet in the juvenile court system.

Queen's Bench Bar Association of the San Francisco Bay Area for its Juvenile Hall Project (JHP). In 2006, the JHP celebrated its 20 th anniversary of service to incarcerated girls in San Francisco The JHP was established in 1986 by Queen’s Bench past president, Honorable Lee D. Baxter (Ret.) who during the time she was with San Francisco Superior Court, presiding over juvenile dependency matters, observed that there were many programs and services available to boys incarcerated at Juvenile Hall but none the incarcerated girls. The project provides informal mentoring though age-appropriate social interaction, holiday parties with small gifts, arts and crafts, and reinforcement of literacy skills. The underlying objective is to provide positive female role models in safe and non-judgmental way to enhance rehabilitation of incarcerate girls.

The following associations and their public service projects received an Honorable Mention for the 2007 Public Service Award:

• California Women Lawyers for "The CWL Roadshow: Gender Bias Lessons from the Silver Screen"
  
  
• Florida Association for Women Lawyers for its "Breakfast & Books" program
  
  
• Lawyers Club of San Diego for "The Balance Campaign and the Balanced Life Summit 2007"
  
  
• Women Lawyers' Association of Greater St. Louis for its "Missouri Workplace Survey"

2006

New York Women's Bar Association Foundation, Inc. for its Fellowship Program

2005

Chicago Bar Association's Alliance for Women for its "Call to Action"

2004

Women's Bar Foundation of Massachusetts "Family Law Project"

2003

North Carolina Association of Women Attorneys Legal TV Show "Laying Down the Law"

2002

Capital District Women's Bar Association (NY) "The Legal Project"

2001

Women’s Bar Association of Illinois
For its “Women Everywhere: Partners in Service Project”

Lawyers Club of San Diego
For The Women’s Resource Fair

The 2001 winners of the NCWBA Public Service Award share the idea that a comprehensive approach to the needs of women and children is the most effective way to assist in solving long-term problems. Each winning project focuses on more than the legal needs of the program beneficiaries. Each project leverages available resources by collaborating with other area bar associations. Each project focuses on a single day, but the benefits for all participants are much more long lasting.

Women Everywhere: Partners in Service Project In 2000 and again in 2001, The Women’s Bar Association of Illinois, the Chicago Bar Association Alliance for Women and Young Lawyers Section’s Women in the Law Committee, the Black Women Lawyers Association of Greater Chicago, Hadassah Attorneys Council and the Illinois State Bar Association’s Women and the Law and Minority and Women Participation Committees formed a partnership to present “Women Everywhere: Partners in Service Project.” The project’s subtitle, “Partners in Service,” reflects the thrust of the project: women lawyers working together to help women in need in the community. The project reflects the shared belief of the sponsoring organizations that service is the ultimate expression of leadership.

In May 2000 and again on May 18, 2001, approximately 400 volunteer lawyers and judges contributed their work day to pre-selected community service agencies dedicated to helping women and girls. The service agencies were selected based on their commitments to either end violence against women or to empower women to achieve economic independence. Approximately 30 agencies participated in 2001’s service event.

Community volunteer efforts take the form of legal services or education (training, seminars, mock interviews, mentoring) and direct service (painting, gardening, cleaning). In addition, groups of girls visited the courts, the Public Defenders office, the State’s Attorneys office and the Office of the Public Guardian to learn more about how the judicial system and its component and support services treat criminal defendants, juveniles, and individuals involved in domestic relations matters.

The education component in the 2001 project focused on girls and their empowerment, and was implemented through mentoring and informational sessions. These programs took two forms. One consisted of volunteer-guided tours of courtrooms in both the federal and state courthouses, including the Juvenile Division. The girls viewed court proceedings and had an opportunity to visit with the judges, many of whom are women, including women of color. The second program was geared toward girls from seventh grade to high school sophomores, and addressed issues that directly affect them in the school setting. Topics covered included their legal rights; sexual harassment prevention; understanding and responding to violence in the schools; and how the schools can deal with the effects of family violence. The informal workshops were conducted by panels of lawyers, educators and counselors from the legal and education communities.

The concept for “Partners in Service” grew out of a discussion among members of the Women’s Bar Association of Illinois and the Chicago Bar Association Alliance for Women about the power of women attorneys in the workplace, and the significant but frequently overlooked contributions they make to the profession. They imagined the impact, on any given work day, of a large-scale absence of women attorneys from their various places of employment. Realizing the effect such a large group could have within their own neighborhoods if they combined forces and utilized a single day away from their offices, they turned their attentions to the community of women in difficult circumstances who are so often ignored or underserved. By taking a day from work, women attorneys, along with male colleagues, would certainly call attention to the importance of their presence in the profession, but would also, and more significantly, provide concrete “hands-on” help to selected agencies. Individuals assigned to agencies would also have the opportunity to establish relationships with their agencies that might continue beyond the service day, and the wider community would become better informed about the population of women needing services and how easy it is to help improve their lives. The underlying mission of the project is to illustrate that each of us is a necessary and valuable part of the community of women and is responsible for contributing, in some way, to the elimination of the barriers preventing less fortunate women from receiving just treatment.

The Women’s Resource Fair Since April 1990, Lawyers Club of San Diego and its partners, the San Diego Volunteer Lawyer Program and San Diego County Bar Association, have sponsored the Women’s Resource Fair, a one-day resource and referral program which mobilizes the staff and volunteer resources of more than 35 public and private agencies and organizations into a concerted effort to provide women and children in vulnerable living situations access to a broad range of services in a centralized and secure location. During the 2001 Fair, more than 300 women received assistance with civil and criminal legal matters, medical and health-related problems, counseling and support services, and an array of other human services solutions. Participants also had access to onsite gynecological examinations, including mammograms and pap smears, and were encouraged to attend seminars on financial management, employment skills and public services. An extensive childcare system cared for and entertained 126 to 150 children. Transportation to and from the event site and breakfast and lunch were provided.

The Women’s Resource Fair was initially modeled after the Vietnam Veterans of San Diego’s Operation Stand Down, a public service referral program established to help local military veterans. Following the 1989 Stand Down, Carl Poirot, Executive Director of the San Diego Volunteer Lawyer Program and a Lawyers Club of San Diego member, realized that this same concept could assist indigent and homeless women. The Lawyers Club of San Diego proved to be a most enthusiastic proponent of this initiative, providing volunteers to organize the event, as well as financial assistance to fund the project. Since 1990, planning and organizing the Fair has grown to involve a 28-member task force which meets regularly during the six months preceding the Fair to coordinate all of the major activities which now include: transportation; social services; employment, education and job skills; legal services; medical; outreach; childcare; seminars; registration and volunteers; entertainment; breakfast; lunch; gift packs; publicity/public relations; signs; security; and facilities.

More than 100 women attorneys are involved in some aspect of the Women’s Resource Fair. Their pro bono contributions, which cumulatively total an estimated 1,000 hours, encompass every element of project development and delivery, including fundraising, organization, coordination, supervision and service provision. The Fair’s legal component was staffed by 15 female attorneys who provided legal advice and assistance in both criminal and civil matters throughout the day. Women with outstanding warrants were counseled by criminal defense attorneys and received court dates to have their cases heard through special arrangements made by the Fair Task Force with prosecutors and judges. Civil matters covering a broad range of areas, including domestic violence, employment, family, guardianship, housing, immigration, public benefits, and tax were also addressed by the legal team.

About the Lawyers Club of San Diego: The Lawyers Club of San Diego was founded in 1972 with the unanimous support of the 24 women lawyers then practicing in San Diego. The association now has over 850 members. One of its original directors, the Honorable Judith McConnell, was the first woman to serve as presiding judge of the San Diego County Superior Court. Another of its founding board members, Lynn Schenk, became the first woman to represent San Diego in the US House of Representatives. Some of the Lawyers Club’s major accomplishments include its ongoing support of the Domestic Violence Prevention Project of the San Diego Volunteer Lawyer Program, providing volunteers and annual fundraising; a “literacy garden” constructed at a local elementary school; twice-yearly “read-ins” conducted at local elementary schools; and an annual holiday luncheon honoring an organization that works with needy women and children.

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2000

Hillsborough Association for Women Lawyers, Tampa, Florida

For its Domestic Violence Injunction Assistance Project, making volunteer lawyers available to assist petitioners with filing for protection from abuse.

Excerpt from the National Conference of Women’s Bar Associations July 2000 newsletter:

Hillsborough Association for Women Lawyers (HAWL) of Tampa, Florida, is the recipient of the NCWBA’s 2000 Public Service….HAWL is being honored for its Pro Bono Domestic Violence Injunction Assistance Project. In 1995, HAWL members met with all Hillsborough County organizations caring for victims of domestic violence to determine how HAWL members could best provide assistance. It was determined that the most valuable aid would be having a lawyer available to review petitions at the time they are first sought. Often literacy or language barriers prevented the petitioners from understanding procedures. Many petitions were denied because they failed to provide specific details or the wrong boxes were checked. Although help was available through the Victims Assistance office a block away, many people were waiting a significant length of time for help or were not following through and were being lost by the system.

HAWL undertook to provide volunteer attorneys at the Clerk’s office at lunch (noon until 2:00 p.m.) and after work (5:30 – 7:30 p.m.) once a week, beginning with Mondays, traditionally the busiest day for petitions for injunctions. Over time, the program expanded to its present strength, offering the assistance of volunteer attorneys Monday through Friday during lunch and evenings. Initial volunteers attended a two-hour training session. Subsequent volunteers view the videotape made at this training.

HAWL was established in the early 1980s. Its membership includes approximately 240 women and men lawyers and judges. The organization’s goal is to serve the community while meetings its members’ personal and professional needs.

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1999

Women’s Section of the Birmingham Bar Association
Birmingham, Alabama

For its partnership with the Birmingham YWCA in assisting women and children in the Y’s emergency shelter.

Excerpt from the National Conference of Women’s Bar Associations July 1999 newsletter:

The winner of the NCWBA’s annual Public Service Award is the Women’s Section of the Birmingham Bar Association in recognition of their charitable commitment since 1995 to the YWCA. The YWCA in Birmingham, Alabama provides day care services to the homeless and to low income families, housing to women in need and a broad array of services to women and children who are victims of domestic violence. The work of the Women’s Section has included the donation of direct legal services, books, clothing and financial gifts. The partnership has enriched the lives of Section members while making a real difference in the lives of the families served.

2001 Update: The Women's Section of the Birmingham (Alabama) Bar Association and the Birmingham YWCA have enjoyed five years of partnership in assisting women and children. The Y's Family Violence Project provides shelter, counseling, and other programs for women who are victims of domestic abuse and their children, which is a ready-made program area for lawyers. The Women’s Section's financial contributions alone have earned a plaque on the Y’s “wall of honor” in their newly renovated building in downtown Birmingham, but The Section’s contributions of time and interest go far beyond money.

In the last year the Women’s Section sponsored a holiday party for children in the shelters (their mothers choose from a "store" of donated toys and other items while the children make presents for their moms). Members have donated used but still beautiful business clothing for women heading back into the workforce. They have furnished speakers on law topics of interest to the women in shelters (a recent talk, for example, is "The role of Guardian ad Litem in Family Court Proceedings," a subject of great interest among women with pending family court protection from abuse cases). The Section's governing board holds its monthly luncheon business meetings in the Y's spanking new board room, so they stay in close contact and endeavor to respond to special needs as they arise. It is truly a beneficial partnership!

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1998

Capital District Women’s Bar Association, Albany, New York

For a program providing free or reduced rate representation to victims of domestic violence.

The Capital District Women’s Bar Association is a chapter of the Women’s Bar Association of the State of New York. In 1998, it had just over 250 members, including private practitioners, judges, government attorneys, assistant district attorneys, court officials and law students. Associate membership had recently been made available to non-attorneys, including paralegals and law guardians.

In 1995, the Pro Bono Committee of the Capital District Women’s Bar Association incorporated a 501(3)(3) organization and named it the “Capital District Women’s Bar Association Legal project, Inc.” The intent was to be able to file for and accept grants to further its pro bono work, particularly in the area of domestic violence. Although small grants were obtained which helped to underwrite some of its pro bono work, it was not until 1998 that a larger grant award from the New York State Department of Criminal Justice, STOP Violence Against Women Program was obtained which allowed the project to hire an executive director.

In February 1998, the Capital District Women’s Bar Association (CDWBA) Legal Project Inc. initiated a program to extend the scope of attorney and law guardian training and to improve services to victims of domestic violence whose incomes may prevent them from using other legal services programs. The program serves as a “legal connection” between victims of domestic violence and attorneys willing to provide pro bono and reduced rate legal representation.

The project recruits area attorneys and trains them in the dynamics of domestic violence and the ‘nuts and bolts” of family court process. An extensive telephone intake is completed on women who call the program, and an intake worker locates an appropriate attorney who has undergone the CDWBA’s specialized training.

The premise of the program is that victims of domestic violence have multifaceted problems that require special attention by trained attorneys who are prepared to give both the time and emotional commitment necessary to support these clients. Women who are represented by knowledgeable attorneys are empowered to leave their batterers and are better able to break the cycle of domestic violence. The program is unfettered by requirements which deny legal services to those women who “on paper” have too much money to qualify for free legal services but who, in reality, are unable to overcome the barriers faced by private attorney legal fees.

The project’s overall goal is the development of a large group of attorneys, trained to understand the issue of domestic violence, who will be able to provide pro bono and reduced fee legal services to women who are not eligible for Legal Aid yet are unable to afford the full-fee legal services of a private attorney.

The organization is committed to recruiting attorneys willing to take a case and meet all of its needs rather than to parcel out different matters to different attorneys. Essential to implementing this overall goal is the collaboration of the CDWBA Legal Project with community provider agencies. Since the implementation of its Domestic Violence Legal Connection, the organization has worked closely with the major domestic violence provider agencies in each of its communities as well as some of the more peripheral providers.

The CDWBA believes that attorneys often need education about the dynamics of domestic violence and further believes that this cannot be accomplished in a one-time session. Ongoing in-service training is offered to all attorneys participating in the Domestic Violence Legal Connection. Information about how to work effectively with community providers, court advocates and crime victim assistance programs is essential for attorneys willing to make a commitment to domestic violence victims. Likewise, understanding how to use expert witnesses and how to document the pattern of abuse with all of the components of emotional, physical, psychological, economic and sexual control are necessary parts of the educational process. Mentoring by experienced attorneys is offered as an additional support.

The project has joined existing networks in three counties it serves and has made an effort to reach out to each participating program in order to ensure the best possible partnership between participating attorneys and community providers.

The Domestic Violence Legal Connection is intended to help standardize training and the referral process and serve as a model for a statewide expansion of pro bono programs. It is expected that at a minimum, pro bono attorneys will provide at least 1,000 hours of volunteer service to this effort.

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1997

Women’s Law Section of the Maine State Bar Association

For their breast cancer awareness program.

Women’s Law Center of Maryland

For its Legal Forms Helpline offering pro bono assistance to family law litigants.

Excerpt from the National Conference of Women’s Bar Associations November 1997 Newsletter:

Two outstanding public service projects were singled out for recognition by the National Conference of Women’s Bar Associations in San Francisco this past August.

Increasing awareness of breast cancer is a goal for the Maine State Bar Association’s Women’s Law Section. Efforts since the program’s inception in 1993 have included collaborative educational programs and research with other bar groups and the University of Maine Law School. With the help of the Women’s Law Section, the Maine Bar Referral Service has created a listing for those attorneys interested in handling breast cancer cases. The most recent addition to the project is organization of an educational program at the women’s prison.

The Legal Forms Helpline of the Women’s Law Center of Maryland gives pro bono assistance to family law litigants using pro se forms, reaching a large number of individuals who would otherwise not receive any legal assistance. This very effective program is possible because of collaboration with the court system, which benefits by properly completed forms and well prepared litigants. The program is already serving as a model for other court systems and bar organizations throughout the United States.

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1996

Mary Leonard Law Society, Salem, Oregon
(Chapter of Oregon Women Lawyers)

For “Race Judicata,” an annual 8K run/walk event benefiting an organization that supports women and families.

This annual event, established in 1992, is a fundraiser for Salem area organizations supporting women and families. Each year, the board and membership considers which organization should be that year’s Race Judicata beneficiary. For example, the 1996 event raised $3,000 for Salem Outreach Shelter. The 1997 event beneficiary was First Steps, a program which provides services to parents, siblings and extended family members of autistic children. The 2001 beneficiary is the Salem YWCA’s Operation SMART, a program which helps young girls enhance their skills with math and science.

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1995

Association for Women Attorneys, New Orleans, Louisiana

For “adopt a school program” including in-school tutoring and fundraising.

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1994

Women’s Bar Association of Massachusetts

For “Framingham Project” in support of clemency for women imprisoned for killing their abusers.

Lawyers Association for Women, Nashville, Tennessee

For truancy early intervention program providing advocates for children in juvenile court.

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1993

Los Angeles Association for Women Attorneys

For grant foundation system to give funds for public service projects.

Women’s Bar Association of the State of New York

For breast cancer awareness program.

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1992

Metro Richmond Women’s Bar Association, Richmond, Virginia

For legal services to women in homeless/domestic violence shelters.

Florida Association for Women Lawyers, Dade County Chapter

For fundraising on a continuing basis for medical vans and scholarships.

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1991

San Francisco Women Lawyers Alliance

For courthouse children’s waiting room.

Women Attorneys Association, Topeka, Kansas

For women and credit program furnishing brochures at banks, schools, nursing homes, and civic groups.

Excerpt from the National Conference of Women’s Bar Associations July 1991 newsletter:

The San Francisco Women Lawyers’ Alliance won the award for its work in establishing a Children’s Waiting Room at San Francisco’s Hall of Justice. The Alliance project was a privately organized and funded effort initiated to meet a critical need. The waiting room keeps courtrooms quieter; protects children from viewing their parents deal with the legal system, and provides children who must accompany their parents to court with a clean, quiet, safe space.

The Women’s Lawyers Alliance has materials available for other organizations interested in establishing a children’s waiting room.

The Women Attorneys Association of Topeka was recognized with the award for its Women and Credit project The Women Attorneys Association published a brochure to acquaint women in Kansas with credit issues, and made the brochures available throughout the state as a public service. Later, attorneys were trained to give pro bono community education seminars, utilizing the brochure to teach women about their rights to credit, as well as the responsibilities of using credit.

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1990

Hawaii Women Lawyers

For Legal Rights Handbook.

Excerpt from the National Conference of Women’s Bar Association October 1990 newsletter:

The Hawaii Women Lawyers were presented the NCWBA’s Public Service Award for their comprehensive women’s rights handbook, entitled “Our Rights, Our Lives: A Guide to Women’s Legal Rights in Hawaii.”

Lorraine Akiba, past president of Hawaii Women Lawyers, accepted the plaque presented by NCWBA at a cocktail reception held in conjunction with the Annual Meeting.

The publication of the book “is the fulfillment of one of the fundamental goals of Hawaii Women Lawyers and the Hawaii Women Lawyers Foundation: advancing the status of all women in our community,” Akiba said.

The 200-page softcover book sets out the law and legal rights in the areas of housing, education, employment, finances, social welfare, domestic relations, issues relating to children, control over women’s bodies, lesbian rights, the military, crimes against women, women in prison, and how to deal with the legal system.

Founded in 1976, Hawaii Women Lawyers’ initial purpose was to further the goals of women attorneys in Hawaii, but over the years, HWL’s mission has expanded to support issues of special concern to all women. HWL has been active in such projects as the establishment of a hotline to provide legal advice to battered women, a biography project on the early women attorneys in Hawaii, the reproductive rights movement, and surveys of women lawyers in Hawaii.

Hawaii Women Lawyers established the Hawaii Women Lawyers Foundation in 1982. Since its creation, the Foundation has promoted the development and dissemination of knowledge and understanding of the law. The Foundation has financially sponsored the Women’s Legal Rights Guide and directories of women attorneys, and has awarded scholarship grants and emergency financial aid to women law students.

The Legal Rights Guide was edited by Elizabeth Jubin Fujiwara, Leslie A. Hayashi and Jean Polhamus Creadick. The printing of the Guide as made possible by grants from Hawaii Bar Foundation, the Nancy J. Stivers Foundation, the American Bar Association Fund for Justice and Education, Young Lawyers Division, law firms and individuals.

Contact Hawaii Women Lawyers, PO Box 2072, Honolulu, HI 96805 for more information.

Women’s bar associations receiving certificates of recognition for their public service projects were Lawyers Club of San Diego, for its Domestic Violence Prevention Program; Bexar County Women’s Bar for its fundraising project, Washtenaw Region Women Lawyers of Michigan for its Senior Law Day Program, Women Lawyers of Franklin County (Ohio) for fundraising and Women Attorneys Association of Topeka for its Life Services Planning Program.

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1989

Dallas Women Lawyers Association

For pro bono legal services at a clinic

Excerpt from the National Conference of Women’s Bar Associations October 1989 newsletter:

The Dallas Women Lawyers earned the NCWBA’s Public Service Award for their ambitious legal clinic project. The DWLA began its pro bono service in 1988, when DWLA members staffed two legal clinics and provided 290 hours of legal services to indigent persons. This effort was duplicated in 1989. In the project, Dallas Women Lawyers counsel indigent clients at evening clinics. The volunteer attorney may give advice, then refer the client to the Legal Services of North Texas for assignment of the case to a member of the staff or another volunteer. But in the majority of instances, members of the DWLA accepted the cases and provided all the required legal services, pro bono. The majority of legal work involved domestic issues.

Dawn E. Fowler chaired the DWLA pro bono involvement in 1989, and Christina Mancuso was president of DWLA.

The Dallas Women Lawyers Association was recognized by the Dallas Bar Association “as honoring the legal profession through exceptional giving,” and received a major award for “their extraordinary support of pro bono service.”

2001 Update: Dallas Women Lawyers Association has a seat on the local North Texas Legal Services Board. Underscoring the organization’s pro bono commitment, Norma Shirk, president of Dallas Women Lawyers Association, fills that board position. North Texas Legal Services serves five counties. Dallas Women Lawyers Association continues to staff two clinics a year: one in the spring and one in the fall.

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1986

Florida Association for Women Lawyers, Dade County Chapter

For their scholarship program for area law students.

The funds for the scholarships are raised at an annual Lawyers Auction. In 1986, it was reported that the auction raises $30,000-$40,000 each year. Accepting the award on behalf of the Dade County Chapter was Gill Freeman, past president of the Florida Association for Women Lawyers.

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Black Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles

Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles

For their work in founding and supporting the Los Angeles Buhai Center of Family Law.

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