NLADA to Honor Five Equal Justice Leaders During Annual Conference Held October 26-29, 2022 in Arlington, VA

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NLADA to Honor Five Equal Justice Leaders During Annual Conference Held October 26-29, 2022 in Arlington, VA

Timothy Moran, Paul Furrh, Shannon Heffernan, Patricia Vining, and Lillian M. Moy to Receive NLADA Annual Awards

Arlington, VA – Giving credit to those impacted by, and shining a light on legal aid, the National Legal Aid & Defender Association will recognize five honorees during its 2022 Annual Conference, “Speaking Truth to Power 2022: A New Day in a New Way,” Friday, October 28 at 12:30 pm, in Arlington, VA.

"It is a complete honor to recognize our NLADA Award winners all of whom have demonstrated excellence in service to the equal justice community," said NLADA President and CEO April Frazier Camara. “Our community is stronger because of the hard work and dedication that our members provide every single day. I am happy to be able to take a moment to celebrate their accomplishments.”

Celebrating 111 years as the nation’s oldest and largest nonprofit association devoted to excellence in the delivery of legal services to those who cannot afford counsel, the annual conference offers NLADA an opportunity to celebrate the following champions:

• Timothy Moran, Attorney, The Law Office of Timothy A. Moran, LLC, is the recipient of the Arthur von Briesen Award for substantial volunteer contributions in support of the delivery of civil legal aid or indigent defense representation.

• Paul Furrh, CEO of Lone Star Legal Aid, is the 2022 Denison Ray Award for exceptional service to the civil legal aid community as a staff member, client board member, or volunteer.

• Shannon Heffernan, Criminal Justice Reporter at WBEZ Chicago, is the recipient of the Emery A. Brownell Award for a member of the media.

• Patricia Vining, Chairperson of the Client Advisory Committee and Vice Chairperson of the African American Advisory Committee, Los Angeles Legal Aid Association is the recipient of the Mary Ellen Hamilton Award. The Mary Ellen Hamilton Award honors a legal services client or client community advocate.

• Lillian M. Moy, Executive Director of the Legal Aid Society of Northeastern New York, is the recipient of the Reginald Heber Smith Award. The Reginald Heber Smith Award recognizes outstanding achievements of a civil legal aid or indigent defense attorney.

In addition to the in-person conference happening October 26-29, 2022 at the Hyatt Regency Crystal City, NLADA will hold a virtual session to Tuesday, December 6 through Wednesday, December 7. Registration is currently open for both convenings. For the full schedule, visit https://www.nlada.org/2022-agenda.

About the awardees:

Timothy Moran is the recipient of the Arthur von Briesen Award, named after the first and very accomplished president of NLADA. Moran’s volunteer work includes working extensively on Foreclosures and Loan Modification with Community Legal Services of Mid-Florida, Inc. This enabled him to be at the forefront of the foreclosure crisis, so that he is familiar with HAMP, HARP, HAFA AND UP programs which assist clients. Tim presented at numerous Outreach Programs, helping people whose houses were in foreclosure. He also coordinated and supervised Interns from the FAMU Law School Housing Clinic, providing important instruction and practical skills to students. Past winners of the Arthur von Briesen Award.

Paul Furrh is the recipient of the 2022 Denison Ray Award. Furrh serves as CEO of Lone Star Legal Aid, one of the nation’s largest LSC-funded programs, headquartered in Houston, Texas. Lone Star Legal Aid serves a client community of over two million in seventy-two (72) counties in the eastern third of Texas, and along the Gulf Coast with a staff of over 175 attorneys. In 2021, LSLA closed over 25,000 individual cases providing a full range of legal services, while representing over 60,000 clients before administrative agencies, J.P. and County Courts, and State and Federal Courts, and is known nationally for its litigation regarding children, consumers, disaster relief, education, health, housing, and public benefits. The Denison Ray Award “The Denny,” is named for a career legal aid activist who served as executive director of legal services programs in Missouri, Maine, North Carolina, and New York and was a long-time leader of the Project Advisory Group.  Past winners of the Denison Ray Award.

Shannon Heffernan is the recipient of the 2022 Emery A. Brownell Award. Heffernan is a criminal justice reporter at WBEZ and host of season 4 of the Motive podcast which investigates the Illinois Department of Corrections. Heffernan's work has been heard on This American Life, Criminal, You're Wrong About, Snap Judgement, and Reveal. The Emery A. Brownell Award is given in honor of Emery Brownell, who served as NLADA’s executive director from 1940-1961. Past winners of the Emery A. Brownell Award.

Patricia Vining is the recipient of the Mary Ellen Hamilton Award. Vining is a multi-generational advocate serving vital and underserved communities and populations for more than 15 years. As a great grandmother, grandmother and mother, Pat has served in many capacities. This has included, but is not limited to partnering with federal, state, and local agencies, private and public sector organizations in the effort to address the needs of clients in poverty, and many vulnerable populations, especially those trying to re-enter the community after periods of incarceration.  Past winners of the Mary Ellen Hamilton Award.

Lillian M. Moy is the recipient of the Reginald Heber Smith Award, “The Reggie,” named for a former counsel at the Boston Legal Aid Society who was author of Justice and the Poor, published by the Carnegie Foundation in 1919. Moy has been the Executive Director of the Legal Aid Society of Northeastern New York since 1995. A nationally recognized leader, writer, and trainer in the civil legal aid community, her particular areas of expertise are leadership development and diversity. Ms. Moy currently serves on the ABA’s Commission on Racial and Ethnic Diversity in the Profession. Past winners of the Reginald Heber Smith Award.

The opening plenary, and award ceremony are open to the media, as are most sessions and workshops. To learn more about the Annual Conference, contact Rabiah A. Burks at [email protected].

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The National Legal Aid & Defender Association (NLADA), founded in 1911, is America’s oldest and largest nonprofit association devoted to excellence in the delivery of legal services to those who cannot afford counsel. NLADA has pioneered access to justice at the national, state and local levels, playing a leadership role in the creation of public defender systems and other important institutions from The Sentencing Project to the Legal Services Corporation. A leader in the development of national standards for civil legal aid and public defense, NLADA also provides advocacy, training and technical assistance for equal justice advocates across the country.