2024 Annual Conference Award Recipients

2024 Annual Conference Award Recipients

Arthur von Briesen Award

Bill Boies, Senior Counsel at McDermott, Will and Emery

The Author von Briesen award honors an attorney not employed by a legal services or defender program, who has made substantial volunteer contributions in support of the delivery of legal services and/or indigent defense representation. The award celebrates the achievements of the first president of NLADA.

Bill Boies is Senior Counsel at McDermott, Will and Emery. His law practice involves class action litigation defense throughout the country. Bill leads a McDermott pro bono program that advises national legal aid organizations, Interest On Lawyers’ Trust Account (IOLTA) programs and bar foundations about cy pres awards from the undistributed residue of class action settlement funds.

Bill files amicus briefs opposing appeals that argue for the elimination of cy pres awards. He also advocates for the adoption and use of state statutes and court rules for cy pres awards to legal aid organizations. Lastly, Bill shares is expertise on cy pres through articles, speeches and panel presentations, including articles in American Bar Association, Chicago Bar Association and California bar publications, Law 360 and the Virginia Journal of Social Policy and the Law. He has spoken on cy pres awards during NLADA and ABA Equal Justice programs. Bill has been recognized for his business litigation defense practice by Chambers USA, Best Lawyers, Legal 500 and other guides. Bill is a graduate of Brown University and the University of Chicago Law School. 

Denison Ray Award

Steve McGilvary, Housing Paralegal, 603 Legal Aid

The "Denny" award honors persons who have provided at least five years of service to the legal services community in staff, client or volunteer capacities. Denison Ray, who dedicated his professional life to equal justice for the poor, is the former director of the Legal Aid Society of Northeastern New York, Legal Services of North Carolina, and other programs.

With over 24 years of service, Steve McGilvary is a highly skilled and dedicated paralegal at 603 Legal Aid, where he specializes in housing law. Throughout his career, Steve has made a significant impact by helping low-income individuals across New Hampshire avoid eviction and secure stable housing. Known for his deep understanding of state housing laws and regulations, Steve has assisted hundreds of clients each year, often beyond regular working hours, guiding them through complex legal processes with patience and care. Steve’s unique perspective as both a tenant advocate and a landlord himself gives him the ability to find practical solutions.

His commitment to access to justice is evident in the personalized support he provides for each client facing a housing crisis on the other end of the line. Steve also serves as a mentor to newer advocates and is regarded as a go-to expert on housing issues by colleagues, attorneys, and even the media across the state. Despite his extensive contributions, Steve remains modest, preferring to focus on the work at hand. His passion for client empowerment and his unwavering dedication makes him an invaluable member of NH’s legal aid community. 

Mary Ellen Hamilton Award

Vanetta J. Jamison, President Emeritus, Legal Aid Society of Cleveland

Mary Ellen Hamilton Award honors a legal services client or client community advocate who, on a volunteer basis or receiving a stipend for their services, has provided extraordinary support to the delivery of legal assistance to low-income people, to increase involvement of low-income people in the fight for equal justice, or to enhance the involvement of low-income people in their cases. The award commemorates Mary Ellen Hamilton, one of the founders of the National Clients Council and the Alliance for Legal Rights, who served on NLADA’s Board of Directors and remained an active Alliance member until her death in 1985.

Vanetta J. Jamison, is a native of Cleveland, Ohio who graduated from Cleveland Metropolitan School District, attended Bethune-Cookman University, and graduated from Ursuline College. She previously served on the Legal Aid Society of Cleveland Board of Directors for several years and held many positions, including two terms as President of the Board, and she was the first non-attorney to be elected as President. Ms. Jamison is currently on the Board for Northeast Ohio Legal Aid serving as Secretary.

She is also a member of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee (DEI) for Ohio Access to Justice Foundation, a group charged with identifying opportunities to improve DEI in Ohio’s civil justice system. Ms. Jamison is an advocate and serves her community, by providing resources to families and children. She spends much of her free time volunteering to assist in making communities viable and safe. Ms. Jamison has a career as a Legal Administrative Specialist for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and is a proud parent of five young men and five grandchildren. She embraces the blessing of being able to serve in many capacities to make a better life for others.

New Leaders in Advocacy Award

Bethany Bonsu, Assistant Public Defender, Maryland Office of the Public Defender

The New Leaders in Advocacy Award honors rising attorneys who exhibit extraordinary leadership early in their careers as civil legal aid or indigent defense advocates. The following year, recipients will also be invited to participate in NLADA’s Beacon of Justice selection process.

Bethany Bonsu is a zealous public defender who has been practicing criminal defense for four years. Ms. Bonsu started her legal career at the New York County Defender Services where she represented hundreds of adults facing misdemeanor charges in Manhattan. She has since been a public defender in D.C. at the Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia, where she represented juveniles faced with the most serious felonies and now Prince George’s County, Maryland representing adults charged with felonies. 

Prior to her time as a public defender, Ms. Bonsu was a law clerk at various national civil rights offices such as the ACLU, DOJ, and NAACP Legal Defense Fund to name a few. It was her time at those offices and her time at the New York County Defender Services, where Ms. Bonsu was taught how to incorporate race into legal arguments. Since becoming a public defender, Ms. Bonsu has incorporated race into nearly every aspect of her client’s criminal case. Challenging issues such as police bias, excessive force, racial profiling and predatory police practices during interrogations. Ms. Bonsu received her law degree from the University of Houston Law Center and her bachelor’s degree from Texas A&M University. 

New Leaders in Advocacy Award

Jenna Coudin, Supervising Attorney at Manhattan Legal Services

The New Leaders in Advocacy Award honors rising attorneys who exhibit extraordinary leadership early in their careers as civil legal aid or indigent defense advocates. The following year, recipients will also be invited to participate in NLADA’s Beacon of Justice selection process.

Jenna is a French Caribbean native, born in the south of France. After earning her law degree, she embarked on a journey to the United States, inspired by a desire to push boundaries and broaden her horizons. She now serves as a Supervising Attorney at Manhattan Legal Services, fighting evictions and ensuring access to essential benefits for New York’s vulnerable populations. Additionally, Jenna is an Adjunct Professor at New York Law School, teaching in the Housing Rights Clinic and imparting her deep commitment to justice and public service to the next generation of advocates. 

Jenna holds law degrees from both Toulouse Capitole Law School in France and Stetson University College of Law in Florida. With a legal career that spans data privacy and international law, Jenna brings a multifaceted perspective to her work, addressing complex legal challenges through a compassionate, client-centered approach. Driven by a belief in every individual’s fundamental right to shelter and dignity, Jenna is devoted to making a lasting impact in her community and to advancing human rights and social justice for all. 

Reginald Heber Smith Award

César Torres, former Executive Director of the Northwest Justice Project (NJP)

The Reginald Heber Smith Award is presented at NLADA's National Conference, and recognizes the dedicated services and outstanding achievements of civil or indigent defense attorneys while employed by organizations supporting such services. The award may be given up to two years after the attorney's termination of employment with the organization. The "Reggie" is named for the author of the first definitive examination of the unfair administration of justice and its effect on the poor, Justice and the Poor, which was published in 1919.

César Torres served as Executive Director of the Northwest Justice Project (NJP), Washington’s largest publicly funded legal aid program from October 2006 until July 2024, during which time staffing doubled to 340 employees. NJP is committed to systemic advocacy to combat injustice and protect human dignity. He serves as Chair of MIE’s Board of Directors (2018-present), and beginning in 2020, has reinvigorated NLADA’s Latina-o-x Section. César is especially proud of his work supporting expansion of access to legal education in Central Washington, a severely underserved Latinx and Native American community. 

Previously, César served as Deputy Director of Essex Newark Legal Services (1998- 2006), and as Managing Attorney of the Housing and Income Maintenance Units (1989- 2006), focusing on eviction prevention and representation of homeless individuals, and working to preserve assisted housing. He also served as a staff attorney at Hudson County Legal Services (NJ) (1985-1989). During law school he clerked for NYC’s Legal Aid Society (civil) and completed an externship at the Center for Law and Social Policy in D.C. A Colombian immigrant and first-generation college student, he attended the University of Virginia School of Law and Yale University - where he had his first legal aid job clerking at New Haven Legal Assistance.