Palatine Attorney Accepts Prestigious National Award in Washington DC
June 24, 2015 - Kerry M. Lavelle, founder of Lavelle Law, Ltd. in Palatine accepted the Beacon of Justice Award on behalf of his firm at the annual National Legal Aid & Defender Association (NLADA) Exemplar Award Dinner last night. The event took place at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, D.C.
Lavelle Law, Ltd. was among 13 firms from across the country to be recognized for their commitment to expanding access to quality legal services for people across the country through pro bono services. The firm was nominated by LAF, formerly the Legal Assistance Foundation of Metropolitan Chicago.
"This is an extraordinary honor for the attorneys of Lavelle Law," said Lavelle. "We have always taken very seriously our responsibility to provide meaningful legal services to those who cannot afford representation and this award only adds to the satisfaction we receive by helping people from all walks of life when they are in need."
According to the NLADA website (www.nlada100years.org) the Beacon of Justice winners have met the high expectations and criteria for selection by expanding opportunities for the underserved in areas such as education, health care, housing, and legal services.
Lavelle noted that other firms receiving recognition included several of the largest in the country. "We have always provided our clients with exceptional legal services regardless of our size. We are honored to be recognized for our pro bono services along with such outstanding firms from across the U.S."
Lance Ziebell, pro bono coordinator at Lavelle Law described a range of issues for which the Lavelle Law attorneys provide pro bono assistance including probate cases, driver's license suspension hearings, IRS disputes, orders of protection and child custody, Medicaid problems, EEOC mediation, and nursing home billing errors. "With twenty-two attorneys representing more than a dozen practice groups we are able to help individuals in need in a number of areas,' said Ziebell.
The National Legal Aid & Defender Association, founded in 1911, is America's oldest and largest nonprofit association devoted to excellence in the delivery of legal services to those who cannot afford counsel. For over 100 years, NLADA has pioneered access to justice at the national, state and local level through the creation of our public defender system, development of nationally applicable standards for legal representation, groundbreaking legal legislation and the creation of important institutions such as the Legal Services Corporation.
Lavelle Law, Ltd. was founded as Lavelle Legal Services in 1989. It has since grown from a single attorney practice emphasizing matters of tax law to a twenty-two attorney firm with more than a dozen practice groups.
Lavelle is the founder of the Palatine and Arlington Heights Food Drives, has served on the Board of Directors of the Society for the Preservation of Human Dignity for which he received the Spirit of Life Award for his charitable efforts, and has volunteered at the Clinic for the Disabled and Elder Law.
In recent years, he worked with Illinois State Senator Matt Murphy (27th District) on establishing a new law in Illinois that removes outdated offensive terms such as "mentally retarded" and "crippled" from state laws and replaces them with more contemporary and appropriate terms.
The firm was recognized with the highly selective Award for Business Excellence in the Small Business category and has been awarded the Al Knox Award for Ethics.
In 2014, Lavelle was recognized as a Super Lawyer in Illinois by Super Lawyers Magazine. He is one of seven attorneys currently with Lavelle Law that have been designated a Super Lawyer or Rising Star by that legal publication. He was recognized by the Palatine Chamber of Commerce as Business Leader of the Year for contributions to the community.
For more information, visit www.lavellelaw.com.