The 2019 Pennsylvania Legal Aid Network Excellence Awards will be held on March 26, 2019 at the Hilton Harrisburg Hotel. A social hour will begin at 5:00 PM followed by the Awards Dinner at 6:00 PM.

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.

The 2019 Excellence Award recipients are:

• Rachel Garland, Esq., Community Legal Services of Philadelphia
• Natalia Gomez and Benita Mejia, Community Justice Project
• Betty Green, Philadelphia Legal Assistance
• George Gvozdich, Esq., and E. Marie Queen,  Pennsylvania Bar Foundation Loan Repayment Assistance Program
• G. Clayton Nestler, Esq., Southwestern Pennsylvania Legal Services
• Nancy Paul and Nancy Walsh, Montgomery Bar Association
• Stella Smetanka, Esq., Pro Bono counsel at Neighborhood Legal Services
• Michelle Terry, Esq., Legal Aid of Southeastern Pennsylvania

The eleven 2019 Excellence Award winners will be honored with an awards presentation and short video tribute at the Pennsylvania Legal Aid Network Excellence Award Banquet on Tuesday, March 26, 2019 at the Hilton Harrisburg. James J. Sandman, President of the Legal Services Corporation will be the featured speaker at the awards banquet. 

In addition, PLAN will present the Outstanding Leadership in Legal Services Award to the group who championed the Clean Slate Legislative Initiative. The following individuals will be recognized as part of this single group award: 

• Gene Barr
• Representative Sheryl M. Delozier
• Sharon Dietrich
• Jamie Gullen
• Holly Harris
• Representative Jordan Harris
• Mark Holden
• Michael Hollander
• Malcolm Jenkins
• Ronald Lewis
• Chris Long
• Seth Lyons
• Beth Anne Mumford
• Greg Rowe
• Torrey Smith
• Rebecca Vallas
• Senator Scott Wagner
• Senator Anthony Williams

The Clean Slate Legislation provides for automatic sealing of arrests ending without convictions immediately, summary offense convictions after 10 years, and some misdemeanor convictions after 10 years. It also expands Pennsylvania’s sealing law to include some first-degree misdemeanors.

It is an extremely important bill for hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvanians with old and minor criminal convictions or who were arrested but not convicted.  Sealing a criminal case is a life-changing remedy for those who qualify, opening doors to employment, housing and education. 

The deadline for online purchases of tickets to the Award Dinner is Friday, March 22, 2019 at 12:00 pm. Please contact Natalie Bogerman at nbogerman@palegalaid.net or 800-322-7572 for additional information about registration. 

Online purchase of individual tickets or full table reservations is available at http://bit.ly/2019-PLAN-Excellence. 

Information on sponsorship and advertising opportunities is available at  https://palegalaid.net/support-us/excellence-sponsorship. 

For additional details, contact Christine Kirby at via email at ckirby@palegalaid.net.  

For more information about the awards visit https://palegalaid.net/pennsylvania-legal-aid-network-excellence-awards.