Meet the 2026 Winners!
PBRC is excited to honor an incredible group of lawyers, advocates, and organizations. The 2026 winners helped in a wide range of case areas, from family law, consumer rights, tax help and tax sale foreclosure prevention, to immigration status. All recipients share similar traits: professionalism, compassion, fearless advocacy, and zealous dedication to helping as many clients as possible.
A full list of all recipients of the Maryland Pro Bono Service Awards starting in 1991 can be found here.
This award is given to a member of the Young Lawyer Section of the MSBA who is making a significant pro bono contribution either directly or through a pro bono organization.
Nicolas Sarbanes, Esq. is the recipient of this year's Alex Fee YLS Memorial recipient.
Nicolas Sarbanes has devoted countless hours to matters with Disability Rights of Maryland while also researching and helping to develop Venable's own pro bono protocols and programming. Beyond larger matters, Nico consistently steps up to take on smaller pro bono matters when there is a need — demonstrating his unwavering passion and commitment to serving the community.
Past Recipients:
2025 - Devin Luqman, Esq. and Derek Van De Walle, Esq.
2024 - Rehana Wiseman
2023 - Meagan Allen
2022 - Neel Lalchandani
2021 - Carin Golze
2020 - Garrett Fitzgerald
2019 - Thomas K. Prevas
2018 - Madonna Lebling; Christian Noble; Maya Zegarra
2017 - James Worm
2016 - Jonathan Kossak
2015 - Benjamin Rupert; Lillian Reynolds
2014 - Max Brauer; Sarah Cline
2013 - Peter Cotter
2012 - Lisa Hall Johnson
2011 - Jacqueline L. Allen
2010 - Melody Tagliaferri Cronin
2009 - Michael W. Siri
2008 - Jason C. Hessler
2007 - Hilary Baldwin Ruley
2006 - Youshea A. Berry
2005 - Linda J. Springrose
2004 - Susan M. Euteneuer
2003 - Stephanie Ketchum
2001 - Carl R. Gold
This award is geared toward a solo or small firm practitioner who has rendered pro bono service over many years.
This year's recipient of the Lee A. Caplan Award is Antonio Gioia, Esq.
Antonio Gioia has been a dedicated expungement volunteer with MVLS since 1993. He has dedicated over 100 hours to MVLS. Antonio consistently goes above and beyond for MVLS and our clients. He brings an incredible level of compassion and patience to every case he takes. He is one of those volunteers who never hesitates to step in, even with challenging cases or tight timelines.
Past Recipients:
2025 - Sheereen Middleton
2024 - Jane Santoni
2023 - Lawrence Finegan; Rue Stewart
2022 - Elizabeth Johnson
2021 - Kathleen Hyland; Derek Hills
2020 - Jonathan Gladstone
2019 - Andrea Ross
2018 - Herbert A Dubin
2017 - Frank Turney
2016 - Gerald Kelly
2015 - Kristy Boon
2014 - Wayne Clark
2013 - Fred Hecker
2012 - Anthony Hayes Davis
2011 - Cecilia Paizs
2010 - Sayra Myerhoff
2009 - Michael J. Belsky
2007 - Joshua R. Treem
2005 - Francis J. Gorman
2004 - Hillary Galloway Davis
2003 - Stephen J. Nolan
2002 - Terri Ann Lowery
This award is presented to an individual who has distinguished her/himself as an exemplar of pro bono service, going above and beyond the average pro bono commitment for at least 5 years.
The recipient of this year's Judge Robert M. Bell Award is Steven Hollman, Esq.
As a civil litigator, Steven Hollman has brought the full measure of my courtroom skills and leadership to pro bono work and public interest advocacy, protecting fundamental rights, strengthening community institutions and driving systemic improvements to try to make real the promise of equal justice under law. Much of his work has involved precedent-setting cases in Maryland, tackling civil rights remedies for hate violence, school desegregation, discrimination in housing and public accommodations, disability rights, environmental justice, and child abuse and domestic violence. In the past three years, his pro bono work has focused on rule of law issues including voting rights, police reform and environmental protection.
Past Recipients:
2025 - Lydia Isabel Bobes
2024 - Kristin Franceschi
2023 - Nina Crist
2022 - Rosalyn Otieno
2021 - Alecia Shelton
2020 - Stephanie Joseph; Jack Condliffe
2019 - José Z. Canto
2018 - Mary Anna Donohoe
2017 - Jeanette Cole
2016 - Tracey Turner
2015 - Van T. Doan
2014 - Barbara Bechberger
2013 - Heather Dlhopolsky
This award is presented to an individual who has distinguished themself as an exemplar of pro bono service, going above and beyond the average pro bono commitment ether over a period of time or through extended service in a complex matter or case.
William McDaniel and Michael Zielinski are the two recipients of the Distinguished Pro Bono Volunteer Award.
As a former longtime Ballard Spahr partner and now senior counsel, Bill has served as a steadfast champion for justice. His decades-long commitment has made a profound, positive impact in Maryland. When individuals and organizations need pro bono services, Bill answers the call, whether it comes to him directly or from one of many organizations he partners with—including Maryland Volunteer Lawyers Services, Human Rights First, the ACLU of MD, or KIND. These clients receive the benefit of Bill’s litigation, advocacy, and counseling skills, honed through high-profile, high-stakes cases over a long career.
Bill’s legacy spans diverse areas, but he has made his biggest impact challenging injustices within the juvenile and criminal legal systems.
By dedicating several hours per week to representing individuals who cannot afford legal representation, Sheila Stewart is ensuring that underrepresented individuals have access to high-quality legal defense. Her work showcases a commitment to justice and fairness, as she advocates for clients through the Montgomery County Bar Foundation, MVLS, and others, accepting over 50 cases and devoting over 1,000 hours to pro bono matters through the years. Sheila provides the work through her solo law firm. During summer months, and sometimes during the school semesters, she utilizes the services of law school students as interns to achieve her goals. In turn, she's mentoring future lawyers and showing them by example the rewards one gains by providing service to others
For 18 years, Michael Zielinski has been a dedicated pro bono volunteer with Catholic Charities DC Immigration Legal Services, aiding over 30 low-income Marylanders. He concentrates on U visas for crime victims and SIJS cases for vulnerable children, securing their right to legally remain in the United States. A recent success involved Zach (name changed), an El Salvadoran asylum seeker, who lost an eye in a gang attack and was abandoned. Michael took over Zach's complex case in 2019, successfully reopening his adjustment of status after removal proceedings were dismissed, leading to Zach receiving Legal Permanent Residency.
Past Recipients:
2025 - William Kiniry III and Sheila Stewart
2024 - Robert McGarrah
2023 - Conor O’Croinin
2022 - Bill Meyer; Deena Dugan
2021 - Joanna Shapiro
2020 - Joy Sakamoto-Wengel; Ellen Dew
2019 - Howard R. Majev
2018 - Charles Scheerler
2017 - Constance Hare
2016 - Andrea Trento
2014 - John Phoebus
2013 - Camilla Rogers
2012 - Peter Holland; J. Harrison Phillips; Melissa L. Mackiewicz
2011 - J. Allan Cohen; Robert N. Grossbart; William Burnham
2010 - Alexandra Drobnick; John David; Gabel Constance Putzel; Thomas X. Glancy
2009 - Kelly Tubman; Hardy Todd Chase; Alison Velez Lane
2008 - Ellen D. Marcus; Matthew G. Summers; Mark J. Shmueli; Emily T. Wright
2007 - Kathleen T. Bailey; Carl J. Clayton; Doug R. M. Nazarian; Andrew R. Strait
2006 - Anu B. Kemet; Ann Baer Cogan; Sharvari-Dalal Dheini
2005 - F. William DuBois, III; John P. Evans
2004 - Michael A. Pretl; David L. McGill; Michael Hecht
2003 - Michael C. Hickey; Charles Balint; Kathleen A. Ellis
2002 - Ward B. Coe, III; Young Song
2001 - Emily Vaias; Frank Mastro; Stephen Sachs
2000 - Cathy Hollenberg Serette; Douglas M. Bregman; Lee A. Caplan
1999 - Jeffrey Liss; William Crowley; Lee Sachs; Daniel Schmitt
1998 - Cynthia Fenimore; Mary Anna Donohoe; Bryan A. Bishop
1997 - James F. Gilligan; Mark Kopec; Sylvia Quinton, David Wasserman
1996 - John H. Price, Jr.; Craig F. Ballew; Linda S. Spevack
1995 - David V. Diggs; Thomas J. Mulrenin; Scott B. Baron
1994 - Michele LaRocca; Lane M. Terwilliger; Sean W. Glynn
1993 - Suzanne Kirby Welch; Thomas C. Dane; Judith Wolfer
1992 - Mitchell Y. Mirviss; Edward J. O’Connor, Jr.; Andrew Gendron
1991 - Frederick A. Balkin; Margaret Maupin; Michael Gerace
This award is presented to an individual who is making a significant pro bono contribution while retired.
The recipient of this year's Retired Pro Bono Volunteer Award is Jim Mayhew, Esq.
Jim Mayhew has been an active and dedicated volunteer with the Pro Bono Resource Center of Maryland in a number of different ways since 2019. This has included volunteering with the Courtroom Assistance Project (CAP) hotline, assisting with the CAP clinic at rent court, and volunteering with Maryland Immigrant Legal Assistance Project (MILAP). As a volunteer attorney with MILAP, Jim is often tasked with meeting with unrepresented individuals in immigration proceedings to discuss their background and screen for eligibility of pathways to residency. This can bring up strong emotions for the client, and can be challenging to navigate, especially when complicated legal processes must be explained after all is said and done. In these capacities, he has exhibited patience, compassion, and professionalism that he conveys to each and every person he encounters. He extends kindness to those who have opened up about past trauma, and has consistently proved able to provide clear instructions about complex legal processes.
Past Recipients:
2025 - Timothy Mulligan
2024 - Edward Wender
2023 - Doris Green Walker
2022 - Russell R. "Ronnie" Reno, Jr.
2021 - John Warshawsky
2020 - Deborah Devan
2018 - Elva Tillman
2017 - James Richardson
2015 - Ridgeway Hall
2013 - Jimmy Persels
This award honors any judge or magistrate who has contributed to the overall pro bono effort by encouraging participation among attorneys, or increasing access to the judicial system for legal services for low-income clients.
This year's recipient of the Member of the Judiciary Award is Magistrate Jamie Adkins.
Throughout her career, Magistrate Jamie Adkins has exhibited an exceptional commitment to expanding access to justice for families on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. While she fulfills her judicial duties with excellence, she actively works to ensure that low-income and self-represented individuals can meaningfully navigate the legal system, especially in high-stakes family law matters like custody, divorce, and protective orders. She supports pro bono efforts, mentors attorneys and legal aid staff, welcomes observers into her courtroom, and collaborates with organizations like Shore Legal Access. Driven by a strong personal belief in equal access to justice, Magistrate Adkins demonstrates empathy, leadership, and dedication that have made a tangible difference in her community, making her highly deserving of the award.
Past Recipients:
2025 - Judge Michael Siri
2024 - Judge Amy Lorenzini
2022 - Magistrate Joanie Raymond
2021 - Hon. Pamila Brown, Maryland District Court
2020 - Hon. Cathy Serrette, Circuit Court for Prince George's County
2019 - Immigration Judge Denise N. Slavin & Immigration Judge Lisa Dornell
2017 - Hon. Mark F. Scurti
2008 - Hon. Julia B. Weatherly
2007 - Judge Karen A. Murphy Jensen
2006 - Judges of the Carroll County Circuit Court
2002 - Hon. William D. Missouri
2001 - Judges of U.S. Bank. Court for the District of MD
2000 - Judge Deborah S. Byrnes
1998 - Circuit Court for Baltimore County
1997 - Hon. William O. Carr
1996 - Hon. J. Frederick Sharer
1993 - Hon. Alan J. Karlin
1992 - Hon. Robert B. Watts
This award recognizes innovative approaches to the delivery of free legal services and the encouragement of participation by the greatest number of attorneys relative to that firm's size. Small, medium, and large firms will be evaluated by the level of commitment to pro bono service within the firm.
Venable LLP is the recipient of this year's Law Firm Award.
Venable LLP expects its attorneys to devote their time and diverse talents, on a pro bono basis, to improving their communities and the lives of others. In 2025 alone, Venable LLP worked on 576 pro bono matters, contributing more than 26,000 hours of service. Those numbers reflect not only significant time and effort, but also thousands of lives touched—individuals, families, nonprofits, and small businesses who otherwise would not have had access to legal justice.
Past Recipients:
2025 - Gibson Dunn
2024 - Gordon Feinblatt
2023 - Cristine Evans LoVetro, LLC
2022 - Baldwin, Briscoe & Steinmetz
2021 - Frost & Associates LLC
2020 - Law Offices of Michael Connolly
2019 - Mulinazzi Law Office
2018 - Santoni, Vocci, & Ortega, LLP
2017 - Saul Ewing, LLP
2016 - Pamela West, Solo Practitioner
2015 - Seth Rosenthal
2014 - Lawyer by the Bay
2013 - Tara Shoemaker & Associates
2011 - Love, Fleming & Bearsch, LLC
2010 - Kirkland & Ellis, LLP
2009 - Jenning & Treff
2006 - Bregman, Berbert, Schwartz & Gilday; Saul Ewing, LLP
2005 - Hodes, Ulman, Pessin & Katz,
2004 - King & Spalding LLP
2003 - Ballard Spahr; Andrews & Ingersoll, LLP
2002 - DLA Piper Rudnick, LLP
2001 - Howrey, Simon, Arnold & White, LLP
2000 - Hogan and Hartson, LLP
1999 - Whiteford, Taylor & Preston
1998 - Stark & Keenan, P.A.
1997 - Armitage & Armitage
1995 - Goldstein & Baron
1994 - Gallagher, Evelius & Jones
1993 - Brown, Goldstein & Levy
1992 - Hogan & Hartson
1991 - Shulman, Rogers, Gandal, Pordy & Ecker
This award is presented to an individual, group, firm, or ad hoc group that has initiated a special project that enhances the delivery of legal services for low-income persons.
The recipient of this year's Herbert S. Garten Special Project Award is Tangled Title Project at MVLS.
The Tangled Title project at MVLS stabilizes homeowners by connecting clients to needed legal services to prevent home loss, clear title, and provide preventative estate planning. In the past year, the team has been able to dramatically enhance the provision of their services by improving the quality of case review before placement, by instituting more proactive check ins with volunteers, and by providing more creative wrapround, holistic services to clients to help them accomplish their goals.
Past Recipients:
2025 - Gupta Wessler LLP
2024 - Covington & Burling
2023 - The Office of Economic Development and Community Partnerships at Johns Hopkins University and Johns Hopkins Health System
2022 - Latino Racial Justice Circle
2021 - N'neka N'namdi, Fight Blight Bmore
2020 - Annapolis Immigration Justice Network (AIJN)
2018 - Maryland Juvenile Lifer Parole Representation Project
2016 - Life for Lifers
2015 - MSBA Elder Law & Disability Rights Section
2014 - Wicomico County Bar Association Law School for the Public
2012 - Anne Arundel County Homeless Resource Day
2011 - Leigh Maddox and the JustAdvice Team; DAP-Debtor Assistance Project
2010 - Joan Bellistri; O’Melveny & Myers LLP
2009 - Pro Bono Family Law Clinic – Barbara Jorgenson and the law firm of Joseph, Greenwald and Laake, P.A.
2008 - Hogan & Hartson LLP; Baltimore County DSS - Kinship Care Resource Manual
2007 - Legal Aid Ministry of Baltimore; Miles & Stockbridge PC Domestic Violence Pro Bono Program
2006 - Reese & Carney LLP
2005 - Project HEAL
2001 - Stanley S. Herr
1999 - MICPEL
1998 - Venable, Baetjer & Howard Tax Section Clinic
1997 - AIDS Housing Project - Weinberg & Green, LLC & Law Office of Matthew Ruble
1996 - Legal Forms Helpline - Women’s Law Center
1995 - Pro Bono Earned Income Credit Project (MSBA Section on Tax); MVLS
1993 - Women's Law Center's Family Law Hotline
1992 - Public Justice Center's Tenant Advocacy Project
This award is presented to any public agency or private corporate department which incorporates pro bono legal services to the poor into its general practice will be eligible for this award.
This year's recipient of the Government Legal Department Award is the Maryland Office of the Attorney General Stephen H. Sachs Pro Bono Program, and its former chair, Valeria Green.
The Office of the Attorney General’s Stephen H. Sachs Pro Bono Program is a voluntary initiative that enables Assistant Attorneys General and non-legal staff to provide critical legal services to underserved Marylanders while supporting the profession’s commitment to public service. Through partnerships with vetted legal service organizations, the Program facilitates both direct representation and brief advice clinics across a wide range of civil legal needs.
In 2025, 81 attorneys collectively handled over 125 pro bono matters, contributing approximately 652 hours of service. The cases reflect a diverse portfolio of high-need legal services, including name and gender marker changes, expungements, estate planning (wills, advance directives, and deeds), uncontested divorces, guardianships, bankruptcy, and nonprofit/transactional assistance.
Valerie Green, Principal Counsel at the Maryland Department of General Services, exemplifies the highest standards of public service and commitment to equal access to justice. As Chair of the Maryland Office of the Attorney General's Pro Bono Committee, she has been an indispensable force in expanding free legal services to Maryland's most vulnerable residents. In her leadership role, she has organized and mobilized government attorneys to take on pro bono cases, coordinated clinics, and built institutional frameworks that ensure pro bono work is woven into the culture of state legal practice — not treated as an afterthought.
Past Recipients:
2024 - Exelon and BGE
2021 - Baltimore City Law Department
2020 - Association of Corporate Counsel: Baltimore Chapter
2018 - Paul D. Ackerman, Esq. of Exelon
2017 - Sandy Brewer, Law Librarian Howard County Circuit Court
2015 - Robert Anbinder
2012 - Elva Tillman
2011 - Janet Hart, Esq.
2010 - Robert C. Cain, III
2007 - State of Maryland – Office of the Public Defender
2004 - Maryland Attorney General’s Office
2002 - Somerset County Welfare to Work Program
1992 - Office of the Public Defender for Montgomery County
1991 - Office of the Attorney General
This category includes all pro bono provider programs, legal services programs with pro bono components, and groups coordinated to deliver pro bono legal services to indigent clients.
This year's recipient is Baltimore Action Legal Team.
Baltimore Action Legal Team (BALT) is a movement lawyering organization founded in 2015 in the wake of Freddie Gray's murder. BALT's Direct Legal Services Program provides free warrant recall and record expungement services to Black residents in West Baltimore's historically over-policed "Black Butterfly" neighborhoods. BALT is the only pro bono warrant recall provider in Maryland and one of the few organizations offering regular expungement clinics at trusted community locations, serving 108 clients across 28 clinics, in 2025. Warrant recall is BALT's most complex legal work. A single client may have multiple open warrants across different cases, each requiring its own drafted motion, court coordination, and potential OPD referral. BALT operates through community-embedded clinics with Black-led partners. By removing legal barriers to employment, housing, and family stability, BALT interrupts cycles of incarceration and poverty for Black, low-income, and LGBTQIA+ Baltimoreans.
Past Recipients:
2025 - Catholic Charities DC Immigration Legal Services (ILS) Pro Bono Program
2024 - Amica Center for Immigrant Rights
2023 - Kids in Need of Defense (KIND) Family Separation Response Team
2022 - Child Justice
2021 - Latino Legal Access Program
2017 - Kids in Need of Defense (KIND)
2016 - Catholic Charities of Baltimore Immigration Legal Services, Esperanza Center
2015 - Pro Bono Committee of Baltimore County Bar Association
2014 - Montgomery County Bar Foundation Pro Bono Program
2013 - Allegany Law Foundation
2008 - Jewish Legal Services
2007 - Mid Shore Pro Bono Project
2005 - Community Law Center, Inc.; Civil Justice Network, Inc.
2004 - Trial Lawyers Care
2003 - Latino Legal Access Project – The Law Foundation of Prince George’s County, Inc.
2002 - Women’s Law Center of MD
2001 - University of Baltimore School of Law Clinical Programs
2000 - The Law Foundation of Prince George’s County, Inc.
1998 - Bruce David Blum Family Law Clinic
1996 - House of Ruth Domestic Violence Legal Clinic
1995 - Harford County Bar Foundation
1994 - Bar Association of Baltimore City Legal Services to the Elderly Program
1993 - Wicomico County Bar Association
1992 - Charles County Bar Association Pro Bono Program
1991 - Homeless Persons Representation Project
This award recognizes organizations providing non-legal services which have made a substantial contribution toward the delivery of pro bono legal services to low-income clients.
Past Recipients:
2025 - Jane Addams Resource Corporation (JARC)
2024 - Katherine Jakuta
2023 - Gavi Franco
2022 - Arlene Grove, Wash-Balto Tax Prep
2021 - Helping Up Mission
2020 - Maryland State Association of Accountants and Tax Professionals
2018 - Maryland Faith Health Network as part of the Maryland Citizens’ Health Initiative
2017 - Scott Mahler Wicomico County Public Library
2015 - Law Career Development Office of University of Baltimore
2010 - Carla Reeves
2009 - Priority Process Servers; Michael Daigneault
2008 - Prince George’s County Bar Association; Winifred C. Borden
2007 - E. Duane Smith
2004 - Cathy Miller
2001 - Family Services Program – Administrative Offices of the Courts
2000 - Michael Daigneault of Priority Process
1999 - Beverly Mondin Vander Haar
1998 - Salomon Reporting Service
1997 - Art Miller & Associates
1996 - Margaret Kahlor, Rent Court Video; Joe Dishman, At Your Service Process Service
1995 - MD Hispanic Bar Association
1994 - Mid-Shore Council on Family Domestic Violence Legal Advocacy Program
1993 - The Daily Record
1992 - TCI Cablevision of Annapolis video production of "Victims No More: Emergency Relief in MD Courts for Victims of Domestic Violence"
1991 - Mead Data Central's Pro Bono Partnership
Nominate an Outstanding Pro Bono Advocate
Know of a local lawyer, firm or member of the judiciary who shows a strong commitment to pro bono service?
Each year, the Pro Bono Resource Center of Maryland, as the pro bono arm of the Maryland State Bar Association, recognizes members of the legal community who have demonstrated an exemplary commitment to pro bono service for those in need through the Maryland Pro Bono Service Awards. This year, PBRC plans to recognize award recipients during MSBA’s Legal Summit and Annual Meeting.
Visit the link here to nominate an exceptional individual or program for one of eleven award categories. Nominations for the 2026 awards selection will be accepted until the extended deadline of Monday, March 23, 2026.