HARRISBURG (April 2, 2014) � The Pennsylvania Bar Association (PBA) Commission on Women in the Profession will present its annual Anne X. Alpern Award to Judge Marilyn J. Horan, Butler County Court of Common Pleas.

An awards ceremony will be held during the commission�s 21st annual conference, �Lean In, Leon On, Lean Forward,� May 14, at the Hershey Lodge, Hershey.

The Alpern Award is presented annually to a female lawyer or judge who demonstrates excellence in the legal profession and who makes a significant professional impact on women in the law. Established in 1994, the award was named for Anne X. Alpern, Pennsylvania�s attorney general in 1959 and the first woman state attorney general in the nation.

Horan is the first female judge on the Butler County court. Since June 1996, she has presided over all matters of Common Pleas jurisdiction, including civil and criminal case management and trials, Family Court, Orphans� Court and governmental agency appeals. She also has served the court in various committee and administrative leadership capabilities.

Horan identified the need for specialty courts, specifically the need for a credit conciliation program to assist Butler County residents facing financial legal issues. Working with members of the Butler County Bar Association and housing counselors, the program called the Credit Crunch Collaborative has enabled 70 percent of those facing foreclosure or financial harm to remain in their homes and improve their economic status.

Horan has been active in local and state professional and civic organizations throughout her career.

She has supported the work of the Juvenile Court Judges� Commission, the Judicial Conduct Board and the Pennsylvania Conference of State Trial Judges. She is a member of the Pennsylvania Bar Association and its Civil Litigation Section. From 2006 to 2011, she was a member of the PBA Judicial Administration Committee. She is a member of the Women�s Bar Association of Western Pennsylvania and the Butler County Bar Association. She served as secretary of the Butler County Bar Association from 1981 to 1985.

Horan has lectured at numerous local and state educational programs and has mentored young women entering the workforce. She has been a lecturer and facilitator of seminars for the Pennsylvania Bar Institute, the educational arm of the PBA. She has been a presenter at mentoring programs at Slippery Rock University, including the Powerful Connections for Women Conference. She helped found Women United, a women�s leadership initiative of the United Way of Butler County that develops women�s leadership skills and provides mentoring sessions for high school students.

She created the �Introduction to Lawyering Program,� which helps newly admitted members of the bar transition from students and successful practitioners.

Since 2008, she has served on the Butler County Family YMCA�s Board of Managers. Also since 2008, she has served on the Board of Governors for the University of Pittsburgh Law School Alumni Association. She is a founder of the Butler County Emergency Relief Initiative that assists families with utility and housing needs. She serves on Board of the Community Health Clinic of Butler County. In the past, Horan has served on the boards of the American Cancer Society, YWCA and the Center for Community Resources, among others.

She has been a recipient of a number of awards, including a 2012 PBA Pro Bono Award; the 2012 Distinguished Citizen Award from the Moraine Trails Council of the Boy Scouts of America; the 2006 Susan B. Anthony Award from the Women�s Bar Association of Western Pennsylvania; the 2005 Outstanding Leadership Award from the Juvenile Court Judges� Commission; the 2004 President�s Award from the State Trial Judges Association; the 1998 Woman of Distinction Award from the Soroptimist International of the Americas; and the 1996 Hestia, Outstanding Woman Service Award from Domestic Violence Services, now known as the Victim Outreach Intervention Center, in Butler. Horan and her husband, Joseph W. Caparosa, received the Parents of the Year Award for Butler County from the National Parents� Day Foundation in 1999, 2005 and 2007.

Prior to joining the Butler County judge, Horan was a partner in the law firm of Murrin, Taylor, Flach and Horan.

Horan holds degrees from Penn State University and the University of Pittsburgh School of Law.

The award will be presented during the May 14 luncheon, which also will include a keynote presentation by Debora L. Spar, president, Barnard College. Details and registration information for the PBA Commission on Women in the Profession conference are posted on the PBA�s website at www.pabar.org.

Founded in 1895, the PBA strives to promote justice, professional excellence and respect for the law; improve public understanding of the legal system; facilitate access to legal services; and serve the 27,000 lawyers who are members of the association.