The Allegheny County Bar Foundation is proud to provide free legal services to individuals facing critical legal issues who cannot afford representation. Each year, through its Pro Bono Achievement Awards, the ACBF recognizes individuals and organizations that have made outstanding contributions to the worthy cause of closing the justice gap and promoting justice for all.

The 2024 Pro Bono Achievement Awards will be presented at the ACBF’s Fall Foundation Reception on Tuesday, Sept. 24, 5:30 p.m., at Hotel Monaco in Downtown Pittsburgh.

The following six individuals and one law firm will be recognized:

Kathryn M. Kenyon Leadership Award:  William D. Clifford, Esq.

William Clifford, Shareholder of Dickie, McCamey & Chilcote, P.C., has demonstrated a steadfast commitment to volunteer legal services. Through collaborations with the Pittsburgh Pro Bono Partnership, Mr. Clifford – a native of Bradford, Pa. – has implemented and championed pro bono programs, recruited and trained volunteers, and set an example by serving in a volunteer capacity himself. As Project Coordinator for the Best Interests Attorney Project, Mr. Clifford has navigated the program through challenges so that children in complicated custody disputes will have their voices heard. Mr. Clifford founded The Shortest Line, a nonprofit organization to raise funds for medical evaluations and other court services that provide critical information in advocating for children in custody cases. Beyond his stellar leadership record, Mr. Clifford has volunteered to handle numerous Protection From Abuse (PFA) cases referred by Neighborhood Legal Services (NLS), and has served as a volunteer for the Sexual Assault Response Team of Allegheny County, CASA of Allegheny County, and Pittsburgh Mercy’s Operation Safety Net. Whether in a leadership or volunteer capacity, Mr. Clifford’s commitment to pro bono is extraordinary.

Lorraine M. Bittner Public Interest Attorney Award:  Thomas Putinsky, Esq.

Thomas Putinsky – a Shadyside, Ohio native – has served the community as a Neighborhood Legal Services staff attorney since 1985, his graduation year from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law. For nearly 40 years, Mr. Putinsky has used his legal expertise and emotional intelligence to represent countless clients in family law cases. In the past seven years, alone, Mr. Putinsky has represented more than 14,000 clients in Protection From Abuse and custody cases. Mr. Putinsky has shared his knowledge by training and mentoring law students, new attorneys, and volunteers. Mr. Putinsky’s storied career and professionalism garners him respect from his colleagues throughout the Allegheny County Bar Association. Mr. Putinsky has dedicated his career to public interest and representing those who need help most.

Jane F. Hepting Individual Att?orney Award:  Michael D. Simon, Esq.

Michael Simon, a litigator at MDSimon LTD, has demonstrated an enthusiasm for volunteer legal services throughout his exceptional career. Mr. Simon of Pittsburgh’s Squirrell Hill neighborhood, is the leading volunteer for unemployment cases referred by Neighborhood Legal Services, representing nearly 400 clients since 2006. In further support of NLS, Mr. Simon served on the NLS Board from 1997 to 2003 and has acted as a pro bono volunteer to the organization in other practice areas. In addition to his work with NLS, for nearly 25 years Mr. Simon led the award-winning Unemployment Compensation Clinic at the Thomas R. Kline School of Law at Duquesne University. Mr. Simon’s devotion to pro bono is exemplified by his consistency and dependability in volunteering throughout his career.

Young Lawyer Pro Bono Award:  Linda Hamilton, Esq.

Bethel Park’s Linda Hamilton first began her working relationship with the University of Pittsburgh School of Law Immigration Law Clinic when she was selected as the Heinz Asylum Fellow to lead the Asylum Pro Bono Project. In this role, Ms. Hamilton oversaw more than 17 pro bono attorneys in the representation of those seeking asylum, with 41 individuals receiving services through the project. After she completed her fellowship in 2021, Ms. Hamilton continued to devote her time to the immigrant community of Pittsburgh, providing services ranging from advice and brief consultations to extended representation dependent upon the needs of the client. Ms. Hamilton’s relationship with the Immigration Law Clinic persists in her mentorship of the Visiting Clinical Assistant Professor of Law in her representation of Afghan asylum seekers, and in her leadership of the collaboration between the clinic and the Latino Community Center in which she holds bi-weekly consultation sessions for Pittsburgh’s immigrant population. Ms. Hamilton has marked her legal career with a devotion to the sensitive and arduous work of immigration and asylum law.

Paralegal Pro Bono Award:  Mary Ann Troper-Malley

Mary Ann Troper-Malley has thoughtfully and diligently served the clients of Neighborhood Legal Services since 1975. A North Versailles resident, Mrs. Troper-Malley is responsible for recruiting and overseeing attorneys in NLS’s Protection From Abuse Pro Bono Project, in which she meticulously reviews each PFA petition and personally matches each client to a volunteer attorney best suited to their needs. Since 2007 alone, Mrs. Troper-Malley has coordinated the representation of domestic violence victims in over 30,000 cases. Additionally, Mrs. Troper-Malley organizes PFA Continuing Legal Education seminars to draw new interest in the PFA Pro Bono Project and ensure the thorough instruction of volunteers. In a situation in which clients may feel overwhelmed and afraid, Mrs. Troper-Malley’s professionalism and kindness provides comfort that they are in able hands. Mrs. Troper-Malley’s service has earned the respect and admiration of not only her clients and the volunteer attorneys she supports, but of the entire Pittsburgh Legal Community.

Law Firm Pro Bono Award:  K&L Gates LLP

For years, K&L Gates (K&L) has provided free services to KidsVoice, a nonprofit organization that provides legal representation and a voice for abused and neglected youth in Allegheny County. In 2024, attorneys from K&L achieved milestone accomplishments for at-risk youth in the crucial areas of education, health, and adoption. K&L attorneys assisted in holding Pittsburgh Public Schools (PPS) accountable in honoring a settlement with KidsVoice to provide over 740,000 hours of COVID Compensatory Services to over 200 KidsVoice clients and thousands of other PPS students whose special education needs were not met during the Covid-19 pandemic. In McKeesport, K&L aided KidsVoice in negotiations with UPMC regarding HIPAA policies and compliance so that KidsVoice and UPMC could create a pilot project to serve former foster youth in the area and help address the social determinants of health related to housing and employment. Further, K&L support helped lead to the 2024 Pennsylvania Supreme Court landmark decision requiring trial judges to consider multiple factors when terminating parental rights, which prevents children from staying in foster care in perpetuity. Beyond these far-reaching cases, K&L attorneys volunteer regularly at the summary offense magistrate hearings of KidsVoice clients. The stellar pro bono contributions of K&L Gates’s attorneys to the KidsVoice organization will continue to leave a positive impact for years to come.

Law Student Pro Bono Award:  Joseph Grugan

The Pardons Project of the Pro Bono Center works to clear criminal records through Governor's Pardons, eliminating one of the most common barriers to stable housing and employment in Pennsylvania. The project enjoys an ongoing relationship with the University of Pittsburgh School of Law in which Pardons Project staff attorneys train student volunteers to write the statements required for a pardon application. Joseph Grugan – a Huntingdon, Pa. native – has been a dedicated volunteer of this project and has completed more cases than any other student volunteer. Mr. Grugan truly listens to his clients and allows their voices to shine through in their statements to the Board, telling his clients' stories thoughtfully and authentically. Despite the distractions and demands of law school, Mr. Grugan submits his work in a timely fashion and recognizes the emotional toll that the process can take on clients. As a law student, Mr. Grugan has demonstrated a remarkable commitment to pro bono efforts and a concern to public interest causes.

The award winners will also be recognized during National Pro Bono Week, Oct. 20-26. Pro Bono Week is a national celebration of the life-changing work that volunteer attorneys perform on behalf of clients with low incomes across the country. The ACBF Pro Bono Center will celebrate the week with a variety of events as we thank volunteers, recruit and train additional volunteers, and bring attention to the needs of individuals facing critical legal issues.

Additional Award Information:

The Kathryn M. Kenyon Leadership Award is given to an attorney who demonstrates exceptional leadership and commitment to pro bono effort benefitting the most vulnerable in our communities.

The Lorraine M. Bittner Public Interest Attorney Award is given to an outstanding and dedicated attorney who is employed by an entity or program whose primary function is the delivery of civil legal services to individuals with low incomes or organizations that serve the poor or disadvantaged. The award is named in honor of the first attorney to receive it when it was established in 2005, in honor of her exceptional and career-long commitment to the needs of the poor and disadvantaged through her work at Neighborhood Legal Services and the Women’s Center and Shelter of Greater Pittsburgh.

The Jane F. Hepting Individual Attorney Award is given to an attorney who has shown exemplary commitment to or made substantial achievements in pro bono legal services. The ACBF Board of Trustees adopted a resolution in 2002 to name this award in recognition of Jane Hepting’s dedication to the delivery of pro bono legal services through her 26 years as an Neighborhood Legal Services attorney, the many and varied pro bono programs that she helped create and implement, her recruitment initiatives and exceptional training programs to attract and prepare volunteer attorneys, her exceptional expenditures of time and energy on behalf of pro bono legal services, and her outstanding commitment and dedication to public service, the legal profession and the community

About the ACBF

The ACBF provides educational programming, promotes public awareness of the legal and judicial systems, renders legal services to clients with low incomes and provides financial assistance and grants to legal-related organizations. The foundation’s Pro Bono Center helps attorneys fulfill their professional responsibility to provide public interest legal services by creating, managing, and supporting programs that match volunteer attorneys with individuals with low incomes facing legal issues that threaten their basic human needs. For more information, visit www.PittsburghProBono.org.