Volunteer Awards
Each year the South Alabama Volunteer Lawyers Program recognizes volunteer lawyers who have demonstrated an outstanding commitment to volunteer legal services, that have exemplified servant leadership, and whose accomplishments during the year stand out as exceptional.
Please join us in congratulating the following recipients for their outstanding service.
2023 Award Recognition
2023 Ben Kilborn Volunteer Lawyer of the Year award winner Gilbert B. Laden, Esq. with Pro Bono Manager, Heather D. Sands, Esq.
2023 Ben Kilborn Mobile Bar Association Lawyer of the Year Award
For 2023 we are so pleased to recognize Gilbert B. Laden, Esq., as the Ben Kilborn Volunteer Lawyer of the Year. This award recognizes an attorney who shows outstanding commitment to volunteer legal services and whose accomplishments are exceptional. This year, SAVLP celebrates Gil Laden, a decades-long volunteer, for his extraordinary dedication and service. In addition to the valuable pro bono assistance he provided SAVLP clients in 2023, Gil has donated approximately 1,000 hours during his tenure as a SAVLP volunteer.
2023 Margaret F. Demeranville Award
The Margaret F. Demeranville Award honors service that reflects a true commitment to equal justice. This year, SAVLP recognizes the remarkable efforts of John G. Roach, III, Esq., Vice President of the Baldwin County Bar Association, and Lynn J. Biles, the association’s Executive Director, to connect volunteer attorneys to pro bono opportunities in Baldwin County. Their tireless work enabled SAVLP to greatly expand its services to clients across the Bay.
Lynn J. Biles, Baldwin County Bar Association Director
John G. Roach, III, Esq., Vice President of the Baldwin County Bar Association, accepting his award from Pro Bono Manager, Heather D. Sands, Esq.
2022 Award Recognition
2022 Margaret F. Demeranville Award
Jessica M. McDill, Esq.
Meg Demeranville was a long-time SAVLP board member who was called to be a servant in her profession. She devoted her time and attention to people in need and truly believed that access to justice was a right not a privilege. Meg always the extra mile for her clients and worked with them until the job was done. In remembrance of her life, SAVLP created an award to recognize a lawyer whose pro bono service reflects Meg’s commitment to equal justice. The Margaret F. Demeranville Award holds special meaning for SAVLP’s staff and Board of Directors, and this year we are thrilled to recognize Jessica McDill as the recipient of what we call “Meg’s award.”
This past year, Jessica accepted a complicated case. She was determined to find a way to get the client some relief and exhausted every possible avenue in her efforts to do so. Jessica took the case and just didn’t quit. Because of Jessica’s determination and persistence, a complicated situation turned out very well for the client. Jessica’s service to her client and her commitment to pro bono exemplify the qualities SAVLP recognizes with the Margaret Demeranville Award.
2022 Ben Kilborn Mobile Bar Association Lawyer of the Year Award
T. Hart Benton, III, Esq. (McDowell Knight), accepting his award from Executive Director, Ariana Moore, and speaker, SAVLP Board President, Jessica Milling, Esq., at the December Mobile Bar Association Luncheon.
The Ben Kilborn Mobile Bar Association Volunteer Lawyer of the Year Award honors the contributions of Ben Kilborn, past Mobile Bar President and founding member of the Mobile Bar’s Volunteer Lawyers Program. The award recognizes an attorney who has demonstrated an outstanding commitment to volunteer legal services and whose accomplishments during the year stand out as exceptional. The recipient may have gone above and beyond to help a particular client or volunteered a significant number of hours during the year. 2022’s award winner, Hart Benton of McDowell Knight, meets both benchmarks.
In the last 12 months, Hart has assisted six clients. He closed two cases with extensive service, donating over 60 hours of pro bono time in each matter. In both cases, he reached a successful resolution for his client. Hart recognized the overall impact the legal issue at hand had on both clients’ lives and invested considerable time and energy into these cases, helping both clients resolve problems they could not handle on their own.
While Hart’s work on these two cases merits this recognition, that’s not the extent of his service. Hart was one of the first volunteers to return to post-pandemic in-office attorney shifts. He volunteers for advice clinics and he also serves as an SAVLP board member, providing guidance and support to the organization. Hart is an exceptional volunteer and we are honored to present him with the 2022 Ben Kilborn Mobile Bar Association Volunteer Lawyer of the Year Award.
2021 Award Recognition
2021 Margaret F. Demeranville Award
The Margaret F. Demeranville Award holds special meaning for SAVLP’s staff and Board of Directors, and this year we are thrilled to recognize Billy Cunningham as the recipient of Meg’s award.
William “Billy” M. Cunningham, Esq. (Burns, Cunningham & Mackey, P.C.), accepting his award from SAVLP Executive Director, Ariana Moore, at the 2021 December Mobile Bar Luncheon.
Billy Cunningham has volunteered to take pro bono cases since VLP began. That means he has responded to our phone calls and e-mails for more than 30 years. He has taken 86 cases during his time as a volunteer. When SAVLP expanded to include Baldwin, Clarke and Washington counties, Billy signed up to help in Baldwin County. When he announced a partial retirement this year, he was quick to let us know that he still hoped to take VLP cases over there. Billy also agreed to mentor new attorneys in an effort to increase the pool of volunteers available to take pro bono cases.
This year, Billy finalized a case that he worked on for the last two years. He invested approximately 80 hours in this case. This is just one example of Billy’s commitment to his clients and his cases. We are grateful to him for his continued dedication to pro bono work and honored to present him with the 2021 Margaret F. Demeranville Award.
2021 Ben Kilborn Mobile Bar Association Lawyer of the Year Award
We are so pleased to recognize Jaime Betbeze, someone who has met these criteria time and time again, as the 2021 Ben Kilborn Volunteer Lawyer of the Year.
Jaime W. Betbeze, Esq. (Marnard Cooper Gale)
Jaime is a long-time supporter of SAVLP. He has served as a volunteer since 1997 and has handled 50 cases. Jaime is serious about his commitment to his clients and invests considerable time and attention in all of his cases, no matter the dollar amount. He has been known to spend 20 hours on a case staff thought likely would be closed with advice and report back a successful court decision. He will stick with a client (and a case) because he feels in his heart it’s the right thing to do. At the SAVLP office, staff members know that Jaime’s clients have a true advocate.
Last year, Jaime cheerfully agreed to help with a case and spent more than 30 hours negotiating and assisting the client.
2020 Award Recognition
(Left to right) Neil C. Johnston, of Hand Arendall Harrison Sale; Gabrielle ‘Gaby’ Reeves, SAVLP Board President, of Christian & Small, LLP; Henry H. Brewster, of Henry Brewster, LLC.
The Ben Kilborn Mobile Bar Association Lawyer of the Year Award was presented to Neil C. Johnston (Hand Arendall Harrison Sale). Neil is a long-term volunteer who provided exceptional service to a pro bono client during a year full of disruptions. COVID-19 and an overactive hurricane season caused a few delays, but Neil never allowed his client’s case to fall between the cracks. He and his staff went above and beyond to ensure that the client’s issue would be resolved in a timely manner.
SAVLP presented the Margaret F. Demeranville Award to Henry Brewster. Henry served as SAVLP’s one-person multi-county unemployment compensation panel during the pandemic. He provided valuable content about the CARES Act and unemployment benefits for SAVLP’s electronic platforms, which allowed SAVLP to provide information to thousands of community members during acritical time. Henry also went the extra mile in 2020, handling 20 unemployment cases for SAVLP during the COVID-19 crisis.
When notified of their selection for these awards, both Neil and Henry credited staff for their assistance with pro bono matters this year. Please join us in also recognizing Lilly Middleton (Hand Arendall), Amanda Thornton (Hand Arendall), and Michele Potter(Henry Brewster, LLC) for their contributions to pro bono. We appreciate all of you!