HARRISBURG (March 16, 2006) � The Pennsylvania Bar Association Children�s Rights Committee will present its 2006 Child Advocate of the Year Award to attorney Jason P. Kutulakis, who serves as the solicitor for Dauphin County Social Services for Children and Youth. Kutulakis is a partner in the Carlisle law firm of Abom & Kutulakis LLP. The award will be presented on April 21 during the committee�s spring meeting in Mechanicsburg.

The Child Advocate of the Year Award was established to recognize the accomplishments of lawyers and judges who are advocates for children within the commonwealth or who are involved with child advocacy.

According to the official nomination, �The proficiency with which Mr. Kutulakis performs his work promoting the rights of children, has become well known throughout the state, and as such, he has been called upon to assist and provide legal guidance to other counties. Through his foresight, knowledge, expertise, commitment and dedication, Mr. Kutulakis has directly and indirectly had a positive impact on the lives of children/families.�

Kutulakis� focuses his legal practice in an area of the law that fosters and promotes the advancement of children�s rights. In 1997, he was hired by the Dauphin County Public Defender�s Office where he worked primarily in the Juvenile Division. He eventually left the public sector and opened his own private practice to continue his work with children�s rights. In 1999, Kutulakis was appointed solicitor for Dauphin County Social Services and Children and Youth. His nomination form explained that he �played an instrumental role in forming [the] cohesive relationship between the Dauphin County Court and Children and Youth Services.� This work led to a �dramatic increase in finalized adoptions.�

Kutulakis is a member of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court Juvenile Procedural Rules Committee and the PBA Children�s Rights Committee. He regularly particpates in statewide meetings and trainings regarding open juvenile court � advocating for keeping dependency court closed � and he is a founding and current member of the Pennsylvania Children and Youth Solicitor�s Association. Kutulakis currently serves as the stand-in solicitor for Cumberland County Children and Youth and is a consultant for York County Children and Youth.

He is a graduate of the Pennsylvania State University and the Pennsylvania State University Dickinson School of Law.

Contact: Marcy Mallory & Jennifer Branstetter
PBA Communications Department
[email protected] ? 1-800-932-0311