Event Honors Max Laun, Lisa Freeland, Michael Dale, U.S. Representatives Susan Brooks and Joseph Kennedy

The National Legal Aid & Defenders Association (NLADA) held its 2017 Exemplar Award Dinner on June 20, 2017 honoring several leaders from the justice, legal and policy community. The annual dinner is a premier event drawing a diverse crowd from the legal, corporate, policy and public interest communities to support NLADA's longstanding commitment to providing equal justice to every American.

Max Laun, the Vice President and General Counsel at Arconic, was the 2017 Exemplar Honoree, which honors a member of the corporate counsel or private law firm community who has demonstrated outstanding leadership, vision, dedication, and achievement in promoting and supporting equal justice.

Attorney Laun currently serves on the Board of Directors of Pennsylvania Legal Aid Network, Inc. and is the Immediate Past President of the Board of Directors of Neighborhood Legal Services Association in Pittsburgh.

The 2017 Kutak-Dodds Awards were given to Lisa B. Freeland, a Federal Public Defender in the Western District of Pennsylvania, and D. Michael Dale, the Executive Director at the Northwest Worker's Justice Project, to honor their outstanding accomplishments in enhancing human dignity and quality of life to those individuals who are unable to afford legal representation.

U.S. Representatives Susan Brooks and Joseph Kennedy III received the 2017 Justice through Government Service Award for establishing the Congressional Access to Civil Legal Services Caucus. This prestigious award recognizes public servants who have significantly pushed for the accessibility of justice in the United States.

“I am honored to lead an organization charged with advancing one principle: that the quality of justice you receive should not depend on the amount of money you have,” said Jo-Ann Wallace, NLADA's president. “Tonight's awardees join a distinguished list of previous honorees, and we look forward to their continued leadership to ensure all Americans have access to equal justice.”

Funds raised will directly support NLADA's ability to serve, train and advocate on behalf of thousands of civil legal aid, and indigent defense attorneys, as well as client communities, who work to protect some of the most vulnerable populations in America.