Attorney Maureen E. Walsh, chairman of the Massachusetts Parole Board, was honored recently with the MBA's Community Service Award.
MBA President Warren Fitzgerald presented Walsh with the award on Sept. 14 at the Hotel Northampton, praising her dedication to serving the community. The award is given to members of the legal profession who have performed acts of public service within their communities.
Walsh, who was appointed to the Massachusetts Parole Board in 1998 and became chairman in 2003, has also served as president of the Hampshire County Bar Association and was co-chair of the Governor's Commission on Criminal Justice reform.
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| Maureen E. Walsh receives the Community Service Award from MBA President Warren Fitzgerald. |
Her volunteer work includes "Move for Change," a program in which attorneys and court staff raise funds for local service programs. The event was launched in honor of Law Day and raises significant donations each year.
Walsh is also active in the Red Cross, the Hampshire County Big Brother/Big Sister organization, the "Relay for Life" and a variety of other groups. She earned her law degree from Western New England College in 1991, served with the Barnstable County District Attorney's office and served as law clerk for U.S. District Court Judge Michael A. Ponsor.
Lonnie Powers, executive director of the Massachusetts Legal Assistance Corp., has been appointed to the American Bar Association Task Force on Access to Civil Justice.
The Task Force on Access to Civil Justice, which has 12 members of diverse backgrounds and legal experience, is chaired by the Hon. Howard H. Dana Jr., associate justice of the Maine Supreme Judicial Court.
Powers, a nationally recognized leader in civil legal services, has served as director of MLAC since its founding in 1983. MLAC is a nonprofit that provides funding and support for Massachusetts programs that provide free legal services to low-income people with non-criminal legal issues.
He has encouraged diversity in legal services locally and nationally and promoted the use of technology by legal services programs to maximize legal assistance for low-income people.
Powers also initiated the Equal Justice Coalition, a collaboration of bar associations, business, legal, religious and social service leaders that promotes increased funding for legal services.