Baltimore – October 14, 2022 – Maryland Volunteer Lawyers Service (MVLS) is pleased to announce its 2022 Celebrate Pro Bono Award Winners. Volunteers and community partners who have helped the organization fulfill its mission to remove barriers to justice through free legal help, community engagement, and advocacy for more equitable laws will receive their awards at the October 25th Celebrate Pro Bono event, to be held at the Reginald F. Lewis Museum. Additionally, MVLS named nine volunteers who accepted 10 or more pro bono cases with the nonprofit during the past year.

The award winners are as follows:  

• Volunteer of the Year, Michael J. McKeown
• Law Firm of the Year, Law Office of Jo Ann Camm & Associates
• Young Volunteer of the Year, Tina J. Azarvand, Esq.
• Community Partner Award, Melvin Jadulang, Greater Greenmount Community Association
• Community Partner Award, Lauren Kelly-Washington, Greenmount West Community Association & Jubilee Baltimore
• Mentor of the Year, Robert D. Anbinder, Esq.
• Mentor of the Year, Christopher R. Rahl, Esq.
• COVID-19 Response Award, David Z. Lomke, Esq. & The Law Office of David Z. Lomke, LLC
• New Volunteer of the Year, Christina Moore, Esq.
• Special Recognition Award, Elizabeth Hayley-Marie Johnson, Esq.
• 10 Years of Service, Jose Z. Canto, Esq.
• 20 Years of Service, E. Hutchinson Robbins Jr., Esq.

Volunteers recognized for taking 10 or more pro bono cases include:

• Constance M. Hare, Esq.
• David Z. Lomke, Esq. & The Law Office of David Z. Lomke, LLC
• Elva E. Tillman, Esq.
• Jennifer A. Jones, Esq.
• Jo Ann Camm, Esq.
• Joseph E. Stolz, Jr.
• Samuel C.P. Baldwin, Jr., Esq.
• Thomas E. Mulinazzi, Esq. & The Mulinazzi Law Office
• Tresa Fitch Drakeford, RN, Esq.

Collectively, the 2022 award winners have taken on 139 pro bono cases, dedicating well over 500 hours to clients in need of free legal help. The community partner awardees notably hosted seven presentations and events with MVLS and distributed 600 bags stuffed with resources and informational materials to their neighbors.  

Tickets to MVLS’ Celebrate Pro Bono event are $50 and on sale now at www.mvlslaw.org/mvls-events/celebrate-pro-bono. Please visit our event page to learn more about the event and about the organizations and individuals whose sponsorship makes the event possible.  

About the National Celebration of Pro Bono, from The American Bar Association: Pro bono work is a professional responsibility and an individual ethical commitment of each lawyer. The ABA Committee launched the National Celebration of Pro Bono in 2009 because of the increasing need for pro bono services during harsh economic times and the unprecedented response of attorneys to meet this demand. Every October since 2009, legal organizations across America participate in the National Celebration of Pro Bono to draw attention to the need for pro bono participation, and to thank those who give their time year round. 

About Maryland Volunteer Lawyers Service: Maryland Volunteer Lawyers Service (MVLS) removes barriers to justice through free civil legal help, community engagement, and advocacy for equitable laws. The organization matches clients with volunteer lawyers, tax professionals and staff attorneys who represent them in a wide range of consumer finance, family and housing situations, including foreclosure, bankruptcy, divorce/custody, deed changes, as well as income tax disputes, estate planning, and criminal record relief. MVLS advocates for racial equity in Maryland’s legal system and works in concert with community partners to move toward a fair legal system that is free of injustice and equitably serves underrepresented Marylanders. For more information about MVLS, please visit www.mvlslaw.org.