Outstanding Lawyers Recognized at New York State Defenders Association Conference

ALBANY, NY (08/04/2010)(readMedia)-- During the 2010 New York State Defenders Association Annual Meeting and Conference (July 25-27, 2010), three lawyers from across the state were recognized for their exceptional work. The three received awards as part of a celebration of the good work done by many attorneys who provide criminal defense and family court representation to people who cannot afford counsel.

One of the awards, the Kevin M. Andersen Memorial Award, was created by the Genesee County Public Defender's Office to honor one of its attorneys who died in 2004. Recipients must have been in practice fewer than fifteen years, practice in the area of indigent defense, and exemplify the sense of justice, determination, and compassion that were Kevin's hallmarks. The 2010 Andersen Award went to Leanne Lapp of Farmington, NY, who is the first assistant public defender in Ontario County's new Office of the Public Defender. Ontario County Public Defender Thomas Kidera, who nominated Lapp for the award, had worked with Mr. Andersen.

The Wilfred R. O'Connor Award was created by NYSDA's Board of Directors to honor the man who served as its President from 1978 to 1989. The award is presented to an attorney who has been in practice fifteen or more years, practices in the area of public defense, and exemplifies the client-centered sense of justice, persistence, and compassion that characterized Bill's life. This year's O'Connor Award recipient was Andrew Fine of The Legal Aid Society in New York City, where he is Director of the Court of Appeals Practice in the Criminal Appeals Bureau. Fine was honored for his outstanding devotion to clients and his extensive work on vital and complex legal issues. These include the United States Supreme Court case Crawford v Washington dealing with the right to confront witnesses, and trial rights in the wake of another Supreme Court case, Apprendi v New Jersey. Fine's appellate work, as well as his willingness to train and advise other lawyers dealing with the same complex issues, has benefited many in the field.

The Service of Justice Award recognizes individuals or organizations that have provided outstanding support to public defense and to the Association. This year's Service of Justice Award recipient was Donald M. Thompson of the Rochester firm Easton Thompson Kasperek Shiffrin LLP. Thompson has worked independently and with the Innocence Project to exonerate several wrongfully convicted defendants. Most recently, in April 2010, Frank Sterling was exonerated of a 1988 murder and released after Thompson worked for more than 15 years to have the conviction overturned.