THE SARAH T. HUGHES WOMEN LAWYERS OF ACHIEVEMENT AWARD PAST RECIPIENTS:
2015 Carol Dinkins
2014 Justice Eva M. Guzman
2013 Nancy F. Atlas
2012 Patricia Diaz Dennis
2011 Mary Korby
2010 Linda Reyna Yanez
2009 Jeanne C. "Cezy" Collins
2008 Janette Johnson
2007 U.S. Magistrate Judge Judith K. Guthrie
2006 Judge Barbara Lynn
2005 Pauline Higgins
2004 Charley Farris
2003 Justice Alma L. Lopez
2002 Susan Horton
2001 Justice Barbara Rosenberg
2000 Justice Ann McClure
1999 Evelyn H. Bierry
1998 Gaynelle Griffin Jones
1997 Justice Shirley W. Butts
1996 Frances "Sissy" Farenthold
1995 Barbara Jordan
1994 Dean Barbara Aldave
1993 Louise B. Raggio & Harriet Miers
2015 Kathleen Wu
2014 Robin Russell
2013 Human Rights Initiative of North Texas, Inc. Dallas
MA'AT JUSTICE AWARD PAST RECIPIENTS:
2012 Anne Chandler
2011 Deborah Fitzgerald Fowler
2010 Alicia Key
2009 Judge Migdalia Lopez
2008 Debra Tsuchiyama Baker of Houston
2007 ileta Sumner of San Antonio
2006 Sheila Enid Cheaney of Austin
2005 Ronnie E.G. Harrison of Houston
2004 Beverly Tarpley of Odessa
2003 Carolyn F. Moore of Lubock
2002 Justice Deborah Hankinson
2001 Paula W. Hinton of Houston
2000 Iris Hefter Robinson of Houston
1999 Collyn Peddie of Houston
1998 Ana Mejia-Dietche of Austin
1997 Ralph H. Brock of Lubbock
1996 Nancye Bethurem of Dallas
1995 Jonita Borchardt of Denton
Awards content
THE SARAH T. HUGHES WOMEN LAWYERS OF ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
In 1992, The State Bar Women and the Law Section established the Sarah T. Hughes Women Lawyers of Achievement Award. The award honors the accomplishments of women who have achieved outstanding recognition in their professional area and who, by doing so, have paved the way for success for other women attorneys. The award criteria honors women attorneys who have achieved excellence in their respective fields and have: Influenced other women to pursue legal carriers, or opened doors for women lawyers in a variety of Job settings the historically were closed to women, or advanced opportunities for women within a practice area or segment of the profession, or have otherwise served their profession or community in a manner that has benefited the legal profession.
THE LOUISE B. RAGGIO AWARD (formerly the MA'AT JUSTICE AWARD)
Louise Ballerstedt Raggio was born on June 15, 1919 and died on January 23, 2011. She was a lawyer who was the first woman lawyer in almost everything she did from being an assistant district attorney to being the lawyer who oversaw creation of the Texas Family Code to being named the first voting emeritus council member of the Women and the Law Section. She was active in the Section and while alive declined to have the section name an award in her honor. Recently the section requested and received permission from her family to rename the Ma’at Justice award the Louise B. Raggio Award.
Ma'at, the Egyptian goddess of justice, symbolizes truth, order, righteousness, and the emergence of order out of chaos. The Women and the Law Section established the Ma'at Justice Award in 1995 to recognize and celebrate individual attorneys or an association of attorneys who have contributed to the furtherance of justice in our society. Every year the Women and the Law Section awards the Ma'at Justice Award to an individual who is actively addressing the needs and issues affecting women both in the legal profession and in the community.
THE JUDY L. NEY SERVIAM AWARD
JUDY L. NEY received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Bradley University, a Master of Arts degree from the University of Missouri-St. Louis, and her law degree from South Texas College of Law. She is recognized as a leader of the State Bar of Texas in promoting professionalism, legal education, community engagement, and individual rights. She has served as a Section Representative to the Board of Directors, Chair of the Section Representatives to the State Bar Board Committee, Chair of the Women in the Profession section, Chair of the Women and the Law Section, Chair of the Disability Issues Committee, Chair and Founding Member of the Worker’s Compenstion Section, and is a Fellow of the Texas Bar Foundation and Texas Bar College. Judge Ney has received the Presidential Citation for Service to the Bar as well as the Barbed Wire Award for Lifetime Achievement in Workers’ Compensation. She has served on the Grievance Committee, the Pro Bono College, the Professionalism Committee, the Lawyers in Public School Program, Senior Lawyer’s Committee, the Continuing Legal Education Committee and Co-Chair both the Law Day and the Minority Opportunities Committee. Judge Ney is currently the team lead for the Eastern Region of the Administrative Law Judges with the Texas Division of Worker’s Compensation Commission and benefit review officers in the Coastal Region of Hearings. Before joining DWC, she was in private practice concentrating in disabilities law and First Amendment rights. She is also a certified mediator. Judge Ney is also the proud and loving mother of Leo E. Ney IV and grandmother of Allison Ney, of New Orleans, LA; sister of James Larson (Renay Larson) of Evanston, IL and Jan Larson (Colin Marstin), of Cambewarra, NSW, Australia.
The State Bar of Texas Women and the Law Section is overjoyed to announce the inaugural Judy L. Ney Serviam Award, dedicated to recognizing exemplary section members who have dedicated their time, effort, innovation and service to the Women and the Law Section for the last seven years. The Serviam award acknowledges service to improvement of and access to legal services, mentorship, volunteerism to professional and legal organizations and the continuing effort to advance female attorneys in the State of Texas.
Awards are presented at the WAL section's annual meeting, held during the State Bar of Texas Annual Meeting every June.