Posted November 5, 20179:37 am
Congratulations to Legal Aid's 2017 Staff Award Winners!
The Legal Aid Society of Cleveland annually recognizes staff through this awards program funded by Legal Aid’s Leadership Fund for Organizational Development. The fund is supported by the Allen Madorsky Memorial Fund and the Alan Gressel Memorial Fund at Legal Aid and numerous other individual gifts. If you are interested in making a gift to support Legal Aid’s Leadership Fund, please call 216-861-5217.
Claude E. Clarke Award
...recognizes staff members for outstanding service through professional performance and commitment to Legal Aid and its clients, and is named for Claude Clarke (1890 – 1975), who directed Legal Aid’s work for nearly four decades.
A Legal Aid staff attorney since 2008, Katie Laskey-Donovan has undertaken complex legal work while showing compassion and conviction. Ms. Laskey-Donovan has worked in family and immigration law and has represented low wage workers. She has represented survivors of domestic violence and victims of human trafficking. Ms. Laskey-Donovan, who is a fluent Spanish speaker, co-chairs Legal Aid’s committee that focuses on serving the needs of people with limited English proficiency, working to create a welcoming atmosphere and cultural competency at Legal Aid, and holding government entities accountable for providing interpretation for LEP clients. Ms. Laskey-Donovan is always willing to challenge herself and doesn’t shy away from difficult or demanding cases or issues, or new areas of law. Ms. Laskey-Donovan steps up to another challenge as the new onsite attorney in Legal Aid’s medical-legal partnership with MetroHealth’s McCafferty Health Center. She continues in her tradition of providing high-quality legal assistance to clients, in close partnership with other service providers.
Kristen Nawrocki started at Legal Aid as a Legal Secretary in 2007. She was promoted to Paralegal 1 with the Consumer Group in 2013. Kristen provides support to the group, serving clients who face mortgage and property tax foreclosure, student loan debt, utility issues, overwhelming debt, bankruptcy, and vehicle repossessions. She provides professional and innovative support to the group’s eight attorneys and interacts with clients with patience and empathy. Ms. Nawrocki is also the office manager of Legal Aid’s Painesville office, covering reception and ensuring the office runs smoothly. She also serves on the Volunteer Engagement Committee, reviewing volunteer applications and conducting interviews. In all her work, Ms. Nawrocki exhibits professional performance and commitment to Legal Aid, to her colleagues, and most importantly to Legal Aid’s clients. She is always willing to take on new challenges and to learn new things, making her an ideal recipient of the 2017 Claude E. Clarke Award.