2022 Awardees

2022 Promoting Excellence Award Honorees

NACC presents the Promoting Excellence Awards annually to individuals and organizations making significant contributions to the rights and well-being of children and families through excellence in legal representation.

As an attorney at the Children’s Law Center of California, Brenda Robinson provides exemplary representation in pursuit of justice for her clients. Attorney Robinson is dedicated, genuine, patient, and kind—attributes that garner the trust of clients, families, and the court alike, and that allow her to see even the toughest cases through to a positive outcome. Inside the courtroom, she is a masterful advocate and an exemplary trial attorney who knows that every subtle detail conveys a message. Outside the courtroom she goes above and beyond, traveling great distances to meet clients and their families and earn their trust. Said one of her nominators: “Brenda is an outstanding example of the type of legal advocate each child in the child welfare system deserves.” Attorney Robinson also helps build the child welfare law community by mentoring new attorneys at her organization, sharing her expertise with national and international conferences and commissions, and promoting race equity in our profession. NACC is honored to name Brenda Robinson the 2022 Outstanding Legal Advocate.

Nomination documents for Brenda Robinson.

From community activist to attorney, Ashley Williams has dedicated her life to pursuing justice for families. As a lived experience expert, community advocate, student, and now lawyer, Attorney Williams has been a staunch advocate for family reunification, permanence, client wellbeing, and systemic change. Multiple judges that she has appeared before in her role as parent’s counsel consistently note her intellect, deep knowledge of the law, preparation, passion, professional maturity, communication skills, and ability to use her personal lived expertise of the system to help advance justice for her clients. A former colleague, and later opposing counsel, described her as a gift to the courtroom because of her dedication to helping clients reach the best outcome, collaborative approach, and creative legal arguments. One of her many nominators said: “Ashley embodies everything that the profession would hope to have in a young lawyer,” and NACC agrees. NACC is honored to name Ashley Williams the 2022 Outstanding New Lawyer.

Nomination documents for Ashley Williams

As a student at the University of Miami School of Law, Alex Cinney demonstrated her dedication to promoting excellence in child welfare law and pursuing justice for children and families. Alex participated as a student and then Fellow at the University of Miami School of Law Children & Youth Law Clinic, representing children and young adults navigating a variety of legal issues related to the child protection system. She developed strong trusting relationships with clients and relentlessly advocated for them.  Alex saw the connections from individual cases to system issues.  She documented narratives of parents during her internship with the American Bar Association and developed a Race Equity Toolkit for the Family Justice Initiative, helping fill in gaps in knowledge in the field. Alex will soon work to create a pre-petition representation law clinic at the University of Miami Law School through her Equal Justice Works Fellowship. Nominators describe Alex as capable, organized, compassionate, and contributing at a level one would expect of a lawyer, not a law student. NACC is honored to name Alex Cinney the Inaugural Outstanding Law Student. 

Nomination documents for Alex Cinney

Founded in 1984, Lawyers for Children (LFC) in New York employs an interdisciplinary model that centers voices of people with lived experience in the system to pursue justice for children. By utilizing representation teams that include attorneys, social workers, and full-time Youth Advocates, Lawyers for Children puts into practice the very principles of inclusion and amplification of youth voice that NACC recommends.  LFC developed an Adolescents Confronting Transition Project for youth preparing to age out of foster care which includes a housing rights specialist and specialists in pregnant and parenting youth.  LFC also spearheaded the design of a model court, the Transition Planning Court. In addition to representing thousands of children each year, LFC developed special projects and litigation for immigration, LGBTQ rights, youth justice, domestic violence, and education. LFC’s Youth Advisory Board and Young Leaders group train and empower clients who then become trusted voices of support for other youth, and who helped develop Know Your Rights materials.  Internally, LFC is committed to an anti-racist framework through its Anti-Racism, Inclusion, and Equity Committee. As Johnathan Lippman states, “In over 30 years serving the New York State Judiciary, most recently as Chief Judge, I can think of no organization as innovative and effective in representing children impacted by the child welfare, immigration, and youth justice systems.” NACC is honored to name Lawyers for Children the 2022 Outstanding Children’s Law Office.

Nomination documents for Lawyers for Children

NACC’S President’s Award recognizes excellence in advocacy organizations working to advance the legal rights of children and families.  NACC Board President Leslie Starr Heimov selected ACLU of Texas, Equality Texas, and Lambda Legal to receive the 2022 President’s Award in recognition of their unwavering support and zealous advocacy on behalf of LGBTQ children and families experiencing the child welfare system. Fighting for equality and equity is a heavy lift; fighting in an environment where the institutions allegedly created to protect and serve children and families instead threaten their very being is nothing short of heroic. Children, families, practitioners, advocates, and allies rely on these organizations to carry the heavy burden of challenging power and dismantling oppressive systems.  ACLU of Texas, Equality Texas, and Lambda Legal consistently answer the call to protect children and families in Texas. NACC is honored to add its voice to the chorus of well-deserved gratitude.

NACC’S President’s Award recognizes excellence in advocacy organizations working to advance the legal rights of children and families. NACC Board President Leslie Starr Heimov selected ACLU of Texas, Equality Texas, and Lambda Legal to receive the 2022 President’s Award in recognition of their unwavering support and zealous advocacy on behalf of LGBTQ children and families experiencing the child welfare system. Fighting for equality and equity is a heavy lift; fighting in an environment where the institutions allegedly created to protect and serve children and families instead threaten their very being is nothing short of heroic. Children, families, practitioners, advocates, and allies rely on these organizations to carry the heavy burden of challenging power and dismantling oppressive systems. ACLU of Texas, Equality Texas, and Lambda Legal consistently answer the call to protect children and families in Texas. NACC is honored to add its voice to the chorus of well-deserved gratitude.

NACC posthumously honors Richard Cozzola for Distinguished Achievement. Before his passing in April 2022, Rich Cozzola worked for 40 years in public service at Legal Services of Eastern Michigan, the Cabrini-Green Legal Aid Clinic, the Office of the Cook County Public Guardian, as clinical faculty at Loyola University School of Law Civitas ChildLaw Center, and—for the last 25 years—advancing justice for youth and families at Legal Aid Chicago. Rich played many roles throughout his career: teacher, litigator, supervisor, trainer, and mentor to many. Rich was a thoughtful, kind, and humble advocate, always willing to train new colleagues, share his considerable expertise, and take on the hardest cases. He was an accomplished trial attorney and developed favorable Illinois law through successful appeals. Rich improved the institutions he worked for, persuading Legal Aid Chicago to hire social workers, developing a trial practice course for the Civitas ChildLaw Center, serving on the Children’s Rights Litigation Committee, and creating training materials for NITA, ABA, and NACC, including the Rocky Mountain Child Advocacy Training Institute. The many people who recommended NACC recognize Rich noted his mentorship, his deep respect for his clients, his laughter, and the hole left by his loss. One wrote: “Rich was driven by selflessness, compassion, adherence to greater meaning, faith in the human spirit, and love. Rich was fiercely intelligent and balanced that intellectual robustness with purpose grounded in the dignity of all.” NACC is honored to recognize Rich Cozzola for Distinguished Achievement. 

Nomination documents for Rich Cozzola