HARRISBURG (April 30, 2008) - The Pennsylvania Bar Association Commission on Women in the Profession will present the Lynette Norton Award to Kimberly A. Brown, partner at the Pittsburgh law firm of Thorp Reed & Armstrong L.L.P., during its 15th annual conference, June 5, at the Hershey Lodge, Hershey, Pa.

The award will be presented at a noon luncheon, which will feature Geraldine A. Ferraro as the keynote speaker. Ferraro earned a place in history as the first woman vice-presidential candidate on a national party ticket. She was first elected to Congress from New York's Ninth Congressional District in Queens in 1978 and served three terms in the House of Representatives. She currently is a principle in the government relations practice of Blank Rome.

The award was created in memory of Lynette Norton, a founding member of the PBA Commission on Women in the Profession who died in 2002. Norton was an advocate for young women in the legal profession and worked to promote literacy and women's rights. The award is designed to recognize and encourage female attorneys who excel in litigation skills and who are devoted to mentoring female lawyers.

Brown is the pro bono coordinator at Thorp Reed & Armstrong and is responsible for organizing lawyers and paralegals from her firm to represent woman seeking protection from abuse orders.

Brown has been a pro bono volunteer for more than 15 years. She often represents clients of Neighborhood Legal Services Association, an organization providing legal assistance to at-need citizens of Pittsburgh.

Brown is a member of the Allegheny County Bar Association and received its 2006 Carol Los Mansmann Helping Hand Award for her efforts on behalf of women. The award honors the legacy of Los Mansmann, the first women appointed to the federal bench in Pittsburgh.

An elected member of the association's Board of Governors, Brown has served on the board's Ad Hoc Judiciary Committee, Ad Hoc Strategic Planning Committee and Ad Hoc Public Service Committee and has chaired the Ad Hock Nominating Committee. Brown also has been a member of the Gender Bias Subcommittee of the association's Women in the Law Division, serving as the group's co-chair from 2000 to 2002.

She is a fellow of the Allegheny County Bar Foundation.

Brown is an elected member of the Academy of Trial Lawyers of Allegheny County. She is a member of the Pennsylvania Bar Association and Pennsylvania Defense Research Institute. She is a faculty member for the National Institute of Trial Advocacy's Great Lakes Deposition Program, which is held annually at Case Western Reserve University School of Law.

Active in the community, Brown is a member and former director of the Manchester Historic Society Inc., a nonprofit organization devoted to historic preservation, and serves on the United Way of Allegheny County Women's Leadership Council Committee.

She is a graduate of the University of Dayton and Duke University School of Law.

Founded in 1895, the Pennsylvania Bar Association 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 29,000 lawyers who are members of the association.

Editor's note: A photo of Brown is posted at http://www.pabar.org/images/Brown-Kim-Copy.jpg.