Pennsylvania Legal Services Presents
2003 Striving Towards Excellence Awards

Pennsylvania Legal Services held its 2003 Striving Towards Excellence Awards Dinner on Tuesday evening, February 25, 2003 at the Harrisburg Hilton and Towers.

The Striving Towards Excellence Awards honor and celebrate some of the extraordinary people who are part of legal services community or who contribute their time and talents to legal aid programs across the state. The keynote speaker for the event was the Honorable J. Michael Eakin, Justice of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania.

This year’s event also featured the presentation of special awards of recognition to many individuals who spearheaded the effort to pass the Access to Justice Act into law. This new law adds a surcharge to the filing of legal papers to generate funds to help low income individuals access civil legal aid.

This years winners of the Striving Towards Excellence Awards included:

Donald Driscoll, Esq.
A legal aid attorney, presently with the Community Justice Project, Mr. Driscoll has been one of the most accomplished and prodigious impact litigators in Pennsylvania’s legal aid programs for over 25 years.

Ronell Guy
The founder of the Northside Coalition for Fair Housing in Pittsburgh. Ms. Guy led the way for building community consensus around keeping the existing levels of rental subsidy in place pending the development of a long-term solution for the properties at risk of being lost by low income people.

Nanci A. Hoover, Esq.
Ms. Hoover was the first managing attorney at Legal Aid of Southeastern PA’s regional centralized telephone intake, brief service and referral unit. She created a unit that produces easy access and high quality services for clients.

Paul Sternberg
Mr. Sternberg, a paralegal with MidPenn Legal Services, has spent a large part of his life fighting for the fair treatment of clients. His enthusiasm, good humor and ability to cut to the heart of the matter have often been persuasive in accomplishing improvements in state policies.

Mary Ann Troper-Malley
Ms. Troper-Malley, a paralegal With Neighborhood Legal Services Association, has dedicated 30 years of service to the principle of equal justice for all. She currently works with the Protection from Abuse Program at NLSA, where she continues to build partnerships with large law firms and works tirelessly to recruit and train new attorneys to represent victims of domestic abuse.

Alan M. White, Esq.
Mr. White has been a consumer law expert at Community Legal Services for 20 years. He is recognized nationally as one of the premier consumer lawyers in the country. In addition, he has authored several law review articles, including a work of scholarship in the Stanford Law & Policy Review, entitled “Literacy and Contract.”

In addition to these award winners, those receiving special recognition for their efforts relating to the passage of the Access to Justice Act include:

AMBASSADORS FOR JUSTICE:

Brett Feese, House Majority Caucus Chairman from Lycoming County
Kathy Manderino, State Representative from Philadelphia
John Perzel, House Majority Leader from Philadelphia
David J. Brightbill, Senate Majority Leader, who represents Lebanon, Berks and Lehigh Counties
Thomas P. Gannon, House Judiciary Committee Chair
Leslie Anne Miller, a Past President of the Pennsylvania Bar Association, Board Member of Pennsylvania Legal Services, and presently General Counsel to Governor Rendell
Stewart J. Greenleaf, Senate Judiciary Committee Chair who represents Bucks and Montgomery Counties
James M. Sheehan, who served as General Counsel to Governors Ridge and Schweiker
Gerald A. McHugh, Jr., President of the IOLTA Board and Past President of the PA Trial Lawyers Association
Jay Costa, Jr. State Senator from Allegheny County
Timothy J. Carson , President of the Pennsylvania Bar Association
Edward F. Chacker, a Past Chancellor of the Philadelphia Bar Association
Richard L. Cantor, President of the PLS Board of Directors
H. Reginald Belden, Jr., Past President of the Pennsylvania Bar Association


LEADERS FOR JUSTICE:

Stephen C. MacNett, General Counsel of the Senate Republican Caucus
Brian J. Preski, Jr., Chief of Staff for the House of Representatives
Gregg L. Warner, Counsel for the Senate Judiciary Committee
Michael S. Schwoyer, Chief Counsel for the House Judiciary Committee
Louis N. Teti, a Past President of the Pennsylvania Bar Association
Barry M. Simpson, Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Bar Association
Alfred J. Azen, Executive Director of Pennsylvania’s IOLTA program
Louis S. Rulli, Member of the Pennsylvania Bar Association Task Force
Diann D. Stinney, Pennsylvania Bar Association, who staffed the first PBA Task Force
Daniel E. Beren is a lobbyist for Pennsylvania Legal Services with the firm of Buchanan Ingersoll
Karen S. Ball, Buchanan Ingersoll
John E. Nanorta, legislataive representative for the Pennsylvania Bar Association
Anthony L. Crisci, a lobbyist for the Philadelphia Bar Association with the firm of Holston and Crisci
David K. Trevaskis, Pro Bono Coordinator for the Pennsylvania Bar Association


EMISSARIES FOR JUSTICE:

Jon G. Hogue, Past President of the Board of Directors of Neighborhood Legal Services Association
Kenneth Shear, Executive Director of the Philadelphia Bar Association
Elizabeth C. Price, Executive Director of the Delaware County Bar Association
David A. Blaner, Executive Director of the Allegheny County Bar Association
Amy J. Greer, Past President of the Allegheny County Bar Association
Donald Morgan, Executive Director of the Dauphin County Bar Association
Barbara I. Kittrell, Executive Director of the Berks County Bar Association
Raymond H. Bogaty, President of the Board of Directors of Northwestern Legal Services
Sandra Brydon Smith, Executive Director of the Erie County Bar Association
Philip B. Friedman, Past President of the Erie County Bar Association and Chair of the Bar Association’s Legislative Committee
Allan H. Gordon, Immediate Past Chancellor of the Philadellphia Bar Association
Jeffrey M. Lindy, Immediate Past-Chair of Philadelphia Bar Association’s Board of Governors