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March 25, 2020

Past Award Recipients

Certificate of Appreciation for Justices

The Certificate of Appreciation for Justices was created in 1994 to honor enlightened judges who recognize alcoholism for what it is; a treatable disease and not a moral weakness.  The nominees are nominated by their state bar associations.  The award criteria includes financial support provided to lawyer assistance programs, promotion of mandatory continuing legal education with required or accepted chemical dependency education, support for confidentiality and immunity for the lawyer assistance program participants, and consideration of alternative sentencing when lawyer addiction is a factor.

1999 Recipients

  • Justice Paul H. Anderson - MN
  • Judge William Beard - CA
  • Judge Peter I. Breen - NV
  • Judge James L. Dennis - LA
  • Chief Justice Major B. Harding - FL
  • Justice Janice M. Holder - TN
  • Judge Paul Hudson - VT
  • Judge William F. Lang - NM
  • Chief Justice Burley B. Mitchell, Jr. - NC
  • Senior Judge, Dick R. Schlegel - IA
  • Chief Justice Robert J. Seerden – TX
  • Chief Judge Lyonel T. Senter, Jr. - MS
  • Chief Justice Randall T. Shepard - IN
  • Chief Justice Herbert P. Wilkins – MA
  • Judge David N. Bates – MD
  • Justice Alan B. Handler - NJ

1994 Recipients

  • Justice Andrew G. T. Moore, II – DE
  • The late Justice James Adkins – FL
  • Judge Richard Schlegel – IA
  • Justice James L. Dennis – LA
  • Chief Justice Robert C. Murphy – MD
  • Chief Justice Paul J. Liacos – MA
  • Chief Justice Robert Rose – NV
  • Assoc. Justice Joseph W. Bellacosa – NY
  • Chief Justice James G. Exum, Jr. – NC
  • Chief Justice Thomas J. Moyer – OH
  • Justice Craig Wright – OH
  • Fmr Chief Justice Edwin L. Peterson – OR
  • Chief Justice Wallace P. Carson, Jr. – OR
  • Justice John Flaherty – PA

Certificate of Appreciation for Bar Association Executive Director

The Certificate of Appreciation for Bar Association Executive Director is designed to acknowledge distinguished service in the promotion of lawyer and judicial recovery from addiction.

1994 Recipients

  • Bruce Hamilton - AZ
  • Katherine Mazzaferri - DC
  • Katherine S. Bifaro - PA
  • Carl V. Nielsen - IA
  • Loretta L. Topey - LA
  • Paul V. Carlin - MD
  • D. Larkin Chenault - MI
  • Larry Houchins - MS
  • Keith A. Birkes - MO
  • William J. Carroll - NY
  • L. Thomas Lunsford II - NC
  • Denny L. Ramey - OH
  • Theodore L. Stellwag - PA
  • Helen Desmond McDonald - RI
  • Robert S. Wells - SC
  • Gilbert R. Campbell, Jr. - VA
  • Charles B. Arrington, Jr. - VA
  • Dennis P. Harwick, WA
  • Linda Manning, CANADA

John "Jack" Keegan Award

The  John “Jack” Keegan Award is given to a Lawyer Assistance Program (LAP) volunteer in recognition of distinguished efforts, who has been an example for all to follow and has brought honor to the lawyer assistance movement.

2013 Recipient

  • Asa P. “Pete” Gullett, III - Louisville, KY

2007 Recipient

  • William “Billy” Hoge, III - Louisville, KY

Distinguished Service Award

The Distinguished Service Award is presented to a lawyer assistance program (LAP) employee for outstanding performance in the advancement of ABA CoLAP’s goals and for bringing honor to the lawyer assistance movement.

2013 Recipients

  • William Leary - Louisiana LAP
  • Janet Piper Voss - Illinois LAP  

2009 Recipient

  • Barbara Harper - Washington LAP

2007 Recipient

  • Myer (Michael) J. Cohen - Florida LAP

Meritorious Service Award

The Meritorious Service Award is in honor of individuals not associated with ordinary and regular LAP functions who have gone above and beyond normal expectations to assist the lawyer assistance program in their jurisdiction. Contributions may be in the form of direct aid (such as financial), cooperation (such as between the LAP and the disciplinary agency, state bar association or law school), or indirect assistance (such as increased media presence).

2017 Recipients

  • Linda Albert, Linda S. Albert, LCSW, CSAC, Psychotherapist, The Psychology Center
  • Patrick Krill, Principal and Founder, Krill Strategies

2009 Disciplinary Counsel Recipients

  • Anthony McLain - Alabama
  • John Berry - Florida
  • Jerome Larkin - Illinois
  • Donald Lundberg - Indiana
  • Charles Plattsmier - Louisiana
  • Dennis Carlson - Nebraska
  • Douglas Ende - Washington

Meritorious Service Award for Law Student Wellness

The purpose of this award is to acknowledge the work of law schools, students, staff or faculty members who have made a significant contribution to law student assistance, as defined by furthering the goals of the CoLAP Law School Assistance Committee. This award is presented to a law student, law school, staff or faculty member who has made a significant initiative or contribution toward law student mental and physical wellness through prevention, education, intervention and treatment of substance use disorders, addiction and mental illness with the law student population.

2017 Recipient

  • Megan Cunningham, Boston University School of Law

2016 Recipient

  • Jane B. Grisé, Director of Academic Success and Professor at the University of Kentucky College of Law

2015 Recipient

  • David B. Jaffe, Associate Dean for Student Affairs, American Washington University Washington College of Law

2014 Recipient

  • Amy Abeloff, University of New Hampshire

2012 Recipients

  • Brett Barker, Charleston School of Law
  • Megan Seiner, University of South Carolina

2011 Recipient

  • Alfred “Cal” Baker

2010 Recipients

  • Minnesota Law School Working Group (LSWG)
    Prof. Greg Munro, University of Montana School of Law, Missoula, MT
  • Prof. Marjorie A. Silver, Touro College Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center, Central Islip, NY
  • Dr. Willie Jordan-Curtis, University of Arizona, James E. Rogers College of Law, Tucson, AZ