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Past Excellence Award Winners

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2008	2006	2004

About the Excellence Awards

The Pennsylvania Legal Aid Network Excellence Awards honor members and friends of the legal aid community who exemplify excellence in their commitment and accomplishments as advocates for low-income people.

Nominations are made in the following categories:

Legal Services Staff
This category is for all staff positions. We are seeking nominations for employees who exhibit excellence and commitment in the performance of the duties of their jobs;

Private Bar
This category is for members of the private bar who display an outstanding commitment to legal aid and the legal needs of low-income Pennsylvanians;

Lay Advocacy
This category is for client leaders, organizational partners, or others who have donated significant time and energy to the mission of legal aid and the needs of low-income people.

Community Services
This category is for volunteers and friends who demonstrate exceptional dedication to legal aid. It may include legislators or government officials, clients, community leaders, or others who help promote the mission of legal aid.

Nominations are open to everyone. You do not have to be a member of the legal aid community to submit a nomination. You also do not have to be a member of a particular category to submit a nomination in that category. There is no limit to the number of nominations you may submit.

Nominations usually open in the last quarter of each calendar year for the awards to be made in the spring of the following year.

Specific information on nominations and a submission form will be posted here when nomination open for next year's awards.

2008 PLAN Excellence Awards

Pennsylvania Legal Aid Network Presents 2008 Excellence Awards

The 2008 Pennsylvania Legal Aid Network Excellence Awards were presented at the annual awards dinner on Tuesday, March 18, 2008, at the Harrisburg Hilton & Towers.

The evening's keynote speaker was Supreme Court Justice Cynthia Baldwin. A social hour preceded the awards dinner which began at 6:00 PM.

The 2008 Excellence Award recipients include a variety of civil legal aid professionals, private attorneys, lay advocates and supporters of civil legal aid from across Pennsylvania.

The award winners are led by Andrew Susko, White and Williams, LLP and current President, Pennsylvania Bar Association, of Philadelphia, PA. Attorney Susko who received the special Outstanding Leadership in Support of Legal Services Award.

The other 2008 Excellence Awards winners include:

Jay Alberstadt, Jr., The Quinn Law Firm; Board of Directors, Northwestern Legal Services, Erie, PA.
Sandra A. Ballard, Pro Bono/Public Services Coordinator, Dauphin County Bar Association Pro Bono Program, Harrisburg, PA.
Nadia Hewka, Senior Staff Attorney, Community Legal Services, Philadelphia, PA.
Leodus Jones, Executive Director, Community Assistance for Prisoners; Board of Directors Pennsylvania Institutional Law Project, Philadelphia, PA.
John F. McKenna, MacElree and Harvey; Board of Directors, Legal Aid of Southeastern Pennsylvania, West Chester, PA.
Thelma Reese, Administrative Assistant, Neighborhood Legal Services Association, Pittsburgh, PA.
David Tilove, Director of Information & Technology, North Penn Legal Services, Bethlehem, PA.

A video tribute to each of the award winners was presented during the awards ceremony. Those video tributes may be viewed above. Pennsylvania Legal Aid Network, Inc. salutes each of the 2008 award winners for their efforts in promoting equal justice to all.