Lawyer receives Grassroots Advocacy Award
John M. Rosenberg, former director of the Appalachian Research and Defense Fund of Kentucky (AppalReD), will receive the American Bar Association Grassroots Advocacy Award April 15 for his longtime service and his outstanding work in providing access to legal services.
Rosenberg served as director of AppalReD from the time it first received funding from the Office of Economic Opportunity in 1970 until he retired almost three decades later. The largest legal aid organization in Kentucky, AppalReD provides free legal services to low-income residents in eastern and south central Kentucky, each year helping approximately 6,000 clients to obtain work, adequate food, health care and housing. In issues ranging from employment discrimination to protecting victims of domestic violence, Rosenberg has been a stalwart advocate.
Prior to his work at AppalReD, Rosenberg served for eight years as a trial attorney and section chief in the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice, litigating discrimination cases in the deep south. He was part of the team that prosecuted the murderers of the three civil rights workers who were killed in Philadelphia, Miss., in 1964.
Rosenberg has a B.A. from Duke University and a J.D. from the University of North Carolina Law School, and served four year in the U.S. Air Force. Previously recognized by the ABA with a 2013 Difference Makers Award, Rosenberg was awarded honorary degrees from Morehead State University in 1999 and from William Mitchell College of Law in 2000. In addition, in 2004 he received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Lawyer magazine and in 2013 received the Kentucky Bar Association Distinguished Lawyer Award.
“John knows first-hand how vital funds are to the delivery of legal services to low- income populations,” ABA President William Hubbard said. “And that is why John has been such a vital resource and tireless advocate for adequate funding for Legal Services Corporation.”
Rosenberg will receive the ABA Grassroots Advocacy Awards as part of the association's annual effort to connect policymakers with constituents in the legal profession. ABA Day 2015 brings distinguished lawyers from 50 states to Washington, D.C., to discuss issues such as funding for Legal Services Corporation, over-incarceration and juvenile justice reform.
The other recipients of the 2015 ABA Grassroots Advocacy Award are Nan Heald, executive director for Pine Tree Legal Assistance in Maine, and Patricia Apy, international and interstate family lawyer at Paras, Apy & Reiss, and liaison to the ABA Legal Assistance for Military Personnel Committee.
Attorney honored for aiding military families
Nan Heald, executive director for Pine Tree Legal Assistance in Maine since 1990 and member of the Legal Services Corporation’s Task Force on Pro Bono , will receive the American Bar Association Grassroots Advocacy Award April 15 for her leadership and initiatives addressing the unmet legal needs of active duty military members, veterans, their families, and caregivers.
Heald has been an innovator in making legal services more accessible to underserved rural and native communities in her state. One example is the Pine Tree website, PTLA.org, which was the first legal aid website to offer self-help resources. Using lessons learned by the Pine Tree model, and with financial support from the Legal Services Corporation, she embarked on an ambitious project to provide an online self-help legal resource for U.S. military and veteran families, worldwide. That website, StatesideLegal.org continues to serve as the most cited, comprehensive legal resource by law and policymakers and through projects like it.
In 1985, Heald became Pine Tree’s executive director, where she continues to serve. As director, Heald launched the state’s first and only children’s law project, expanded support for self-represented families, victims of domestic and sexual assault, and provided further support for those facing foreclosure, housing discrimination and other issues. Heald blazed an early trail in meeting legal needs of low-income and rural persons through technology, such as the launch in 1996 of www.ptla.org. She was recognized as one of the inaugural Lawdragon 500 Leading Lawyers in America (2005) and selected as a MaineBiz “Woman to Watch” in 2010. She has also been honored for her work by the Maine Veterans Coordinating Committee, the Maine Judicial Branch, and the Maine Civil Liberties Union. In the fall of 2011 she was honored at the White House as a Champion of Change in recognition of her work to provide legal services to people who cannot afford to hire lawyers to represent them on civil matters.
“The ABA has a proud tradition of support for military and veterans,” ABA President William C. Hubbard said. “Yet our own efficacy, and that of many others, has been advanced as a direct result of Nan’s work. She has been an innovator in making legal services more accessible to the underserved and we are proud to honor her.”
Heald will receive the ABA Grassroots Advocacy Awards as part of the association's annual effort to connect policymakers with constituents in the legal profession. ABA Day 2015 brings distinguished lawyers from 50 states to Washington, D.C., to discuss issues such as funding for Legal Services Corporation, over-incarceration and juvenile justice reform.
The other recipients of the 2015 ABA Grassroots Advocacy Award are John M. Rosenberg, founder and longtime director of the Appalachian Research and Defense Fund of Kentucky, Inc., and Patricia Apy, international and interstate family lawyer at Paras, Apy & Reiss, and liaison to the ABA Legal Assistance for Military Personnel Committee.
Lawyer honored for work with military families
Patricia E. Apy, partner at Paras, Apy & Reiss, P.C. in Red Bank, N.J., and fellow of the International Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, will receive the American Bar Association’s Grassroots Advocacy Award on April 15 for her outstanding support of legal protection and assistance for members of the military.
Recognized as one of the nation’s leading experts in family law, Apy has focused her career on the needs of military families, serving as a teacher, advocate, lecturer, consultant and commentator on the complexities of international family law. She has served as a past member and present liaison to the ABA Legal Assistance for Military Personnel Committee and past chair for the ABA Family Law Section’s Military Family Committee. She has dedicated countless pro bono hours on Capitol Hill and the New Jersey state legislature serving as the ABA president-designated spokesperson. She continues to provide military and civilian lawyers and judges with education and technical assistance on the rights of American military service members.
For the past five years, Apy has worked tirelessly with her congressman, Rep. Chris Smith, to draft and shepherd to enactment the Sean and David Goldman International Child Abduction Prevention and Return Act of 2014. This law will help parents reunite with their abducted children and will strengthen efforts to prevent child abductions in the first place. Apy was instrumental in including provisions originally proposed by the ABA working group to address the unique challenges faced by military parents.
Apy also is being honored for her leadership over the past eight years in helping the ABA oppose federal legislation that would have adverse consequences for military parents involved in child custody disputes. She was influential in crafting a New Jersey state statute that serves as a basis for the Uniform Act (Uniform Deployed Parents Custody and Visitation Act), which has been adopted in many states and under consideration in other states.
“Patricia Apy has been a leader in addressing the legal needs of military families,” said William C. Hubbard, ABA president. “She has helped the ABA oppose federal legislation that would have hurt military parents working through child custody issues and she has spent endless hours educating members of Congress about this issue. We are delighted to honor her work.”
Apy will receive the ABA Grassroots Advocacy Awards as part of the association's annual effort to connect policymakers with constituents in the legal profession. ABA Day 2015 brings distinguished lawyers from 50 states to Washington, D.C., to discuss issues such as funding for Legal Services Corporation, overincarceration and juvenile justice reform.
The other recipients of the 2015 ABA Grassroots Advocacy Award are John M. Rosenberg, founder and longtime director of the Appalachian Research and Defense Fund of Kentucky, Inc., and Nan
Heald, executive director for Pine Tree Legal Assistance in Maine.
Rep. honored for support of legal aid funding
Rep. Edward Randall "Ed" Royce (R-Calif.) will receive the American Bar Association Congressional Justice Award on April 14 for his continued support of access to justice, including funding for legal aid groups, and for his opposition to tax proposals that would unfairly burden law firms and personal service businesses.
Before the 113th Congress, Royce led efforts in the House of Representatives to provide Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.’s protection on Interest on Lawyers Trust Accounts held at credit unions.
Royce sponsored and helped to enact legislation that authorizes credit unions to insure IOLTAs at the same amount of insurance protection as funds held at banks. The interest generated from these accounts provides funding for civil legal services for people near or below the poverty line. IOLTA is one of the largest funding sources for free legal services in the country, supporting legal aid offices and pro bono programs in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and the Virgin Islands.
The new legislation is positive for legal aid communities, as credit unions often yield higher interest rates than banks. Attorneys could now opt to hold money in credit unions since the funding protection level will be the equivalent of bank FDIC protection ($250,000 per person per institution).
Royce also worked to prevent tax reform measures that would unfairly burden law firms and other personal service businesses by requiring them to pay tax on income they have not yet received and may never receive.
“Rep. Royce has been a leader on issues of great importance to the ABA,” said William C. Hubbard, president of the ABA. “His role to insure coverage on IOLTAs will benefit legal aid groups that represent low-income residents and help many of his constituents.”
Royce will receive one of four ABA Congressional Justice Awards that will be given as part of the association’s annual effort to connect policymakers with constituents in the legal profession. ABA Day 2015 brings distinguished lawyers from 50 states to Washington, D.C., to discuss issues such as funding for Legal Services Corporation, over-incarceration and juvenile justice reform.
Other recipients of 2015 ABA Congressional Justice Awards include Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minnesota, and Rep. Tom Cole, R-Oklahoma.
Senator honored for efforts to protect vulnerable populations
Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) will receive the American Bar Association’s Congressional Justice Award April 14 for her efforts to protect vulnerable populations from violence, exploitation, and assault and to eliminate discrimination in the workplace.
Klobuchar, the senior senator from Minnesota and the state’s first woman senator, is being recognized by the ABA for her leadership in sponsoring and enacting the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013. She also is being recognized for her leadership in addressing sex trafficking, including introducing the Stop Exploitation through Trafficking Act of 2014 and for her efforts to assure justice for victims of sexual assault in the military.
The ABA also appreciates her avid support for legislation to end discrimination in the workplace, specifically the Paycheck Fairness Act, which was recently introduced and seeks to strengthen laws to assure that women get equal pay for equal work, and the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, which prohibits workplace discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. Klobuchar also was committed to the ratification of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in 2012.
“Senator Klobuchar has worked tirelessly to assure justice for victims of domestic and sexual assault,” ABA President William C. Hubbard said. “She also has been a leading advocate to end discrimination and promote fairness in the workplace. We are proud to be honoring her.”
One of 20 female senators serving in the 114th Congress, Sen. Klobuchar serves as chair of the Senate Democratic Steering and Outreach Committee, which brings together senators, businesses, community leaders, policy experts and intergovernmental organizations to help develop policies to strengthen the economy. Heavily involved in legislative efforts to create a competitive and fair work environment, she also serves on the Joint Economic Committee, the President’s Export Council, the Senate Commerce Committee and the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy and Consumer Rights, where she is ranking member.
Before serving in the Senate, Klobuchar headed the largest prosecutor’s office in Minnesota for eight years, making the prosecution of violent and career criminals her top priority.
Klobuchar will receive one of four ABA Congressional Justice Awards that will be given as part of the association’s annual effort to connect policymakers with constituents in the legal profession. ABA Day 2015 brings distinguished lawyers from 50 states to Washington, D.C., to discuss issues such as funding for Legal Services Corporation, overincarceration and juvenile justice reform.
Other recipients of 2015 ABA Congressional Justice Awards include Sen. Angus King (I-Maine), Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.) and Rep. Ed Royce (R-Calif.).
U.S. Senator honored for support of IOLTA funding
Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, will receive the American Bar Association Congressional Justice Award on April 14 for his leadership in sponsoring and helping to enact legislation that authorized credit unions to insure Lawyer Trust Accounts at the same level of coverage that banks provide. He also is being honored for his co-sponsorship of the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013 and for his opposition to mandatory accrual accounting legislation that would burden law firms and other personal service businesses.
“The American Bar Association is proud to honor Sen. King for his efforts to improve the American justice system” ABA President William C. Hubbard said. “His leadership in assuring enactment of IOLTA legislation will help in the funding of civil legal programs and improve access to justice.”
King was instrumental in the enactment of the IOLTA legislation. The bill, which had already passed the House, likely would have died in the Senate last Congress were it not for the King’s persistence in convincing a few of his colleagues to drop their opposition to the bill so that it could be quickly passed by unanimous consent before the 113th Congress adjourned.
Interest earned on these Lawyers Trust Account help provide funding for civil legal programs and other efforts critical to improving access to justice in communities across the nation. Enactment of this legislation is expected to result in more funding for these programs since credit unions traditionally yield higher interest rates.
King is also being honored for his opposition to mandatory accrual accounting legislation. Among other activities, he, along with some of his colleagues, authored an influential letter to the Senate Finance Committee urging preservation of the cash method of accounting for law firms and other personal service businesses, so that they would not be taxed on income they had not and might never receive.
In addition, Sen. King was a co-sponsor of the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013. VAWA is the cornerstone of our nation’s response to domestic and sexual violence. VAWA 2013 reauthorized and improved upon lifesaving services for all victims. It also closed important gaps in services and justice, including Native-American women, immigrants, LGBT victims, college students and youth, and public housing residents.
King will receive one of four ABA Congressional Justice Awards that will be given as part of the association’s annual effort to connect policymakers with constituents in the legal profession. ABA Day 2015 brings distinguished lawyers from 50 states to Washington, D.C., to discuss issues such as funding for Legal Services Corporation, over-incarceration and juvenile justice reform.
Other recipients of 2015 ABA Congressional Justice Awards include Sen. Amy Klobuchar , D-Minnesota, Rep. Tom Cole, R-Oklahoma, and Rep. Ed Royce, R-California
