HARRISBURG (May 25, 2006) � The Pennsylvania Bar Association Young Lawyers Division (YLD) will present its Michael K. Smith Excellence in Service Award to Karoline Mehalchick, an attorney with the Clarks Summit law firm of Oliver, Price & Rhodes, during the association�s annual meeting June 8 in Hershey.

The Michael K. Smith Excellence in Service Award, named in memory of a Philadelphia young lawyer who died of cancer, is presented to a Pennsylvania young lawyer who, through his or her exemplary personal and professional conduct, reminds lawyers of their professional and community responsibilities.

�Karoline Mehalchick is, quite simply, the finest young lawyer � the finest example of a young lawyer � whom I know,� said Lackawanna County lawyer Sidney Prejean, in nominating Mehalchick for the award. �She is never flustered, always prepared and exquisitely professional.�

Mehalchick is a senior litigation associate who handles complex, multi-jurisdictional cases. She is active in the Pennsylvania and Lackawanna Bar associations and currently serves as the PBA/YLD Zone 5 Chair and the LBA/YLD Vice President. She has helped the LBA/YLD implement and maintain a variety of successful community projects, including: �Bowling for Kids� Sake� for the Big Brother/Big Sister program; �Project KidCare� in conjunction with the Lackawanna District Attorney�s Office; �Operation Dear Santa� to benefit the children of the Boys and Girls Club and United Neighborhood Centers; and �Lawyers in the Classroom,� which works with public and parochial schools in Lackawanna County. In addition, Mehalchick is active in the statewide mock trial program and is the incumbent president of the Lackawanna County Association of Women Lawyers.