HARRISBURG (May 31, 2006) � Butler lawyer Marion Laffey-Ferry will receive a Louis J. Goffman Award for outstanding pro bono work from the Pennsylvania Bar Foundation (PBF), the charitable arm of the Pennsylvania Bar Association (PBA).

Goffman awards, named for a late PBA president, are presented annually to an individual and to a group or organization for outstanding pro bono work. Laffey-Ferry will be honored on Thursday, June 8, during the PBA Annual Meeting held in Hershey.

�Attorney Laffey-Ferry�s commitment to support the legal needs of low-income individuals and families in Butler County is highly commendable,� said Karen M. Balaban, PBF president. �For two decades, she has provided professional, caring legal services to ensure residents in her community have equal access to justice.�

Laffey-Ferry, a sole practitioner of family law, has accepted hundreds of pro bono and reduced-fee referrals throughout her career and continues to provide custody and other professional services for domestic relations issues.

Since 1996, she has been the Butler County Zone Delegate to the PBA. Since 2004, she has served on the PBF�s board of directors, lending expertise to statewide events such as Law Day and scholarship programs.

Laffey-Ferry actively encouraged other attorneys to participate in pro bono programs while serving as president of the Butler County Bar Association from 1999 through 2001. She is currently a member of the county association�s executive board and its public service committee.

She previously served on the boards of directors of Neighborhood Legal Services and the United Way of Butler County. She also served multiple terms on the region four disciplinary committee of the Disciplinary Board of the Supreme Court.

Her commitment to supporting the legal needs of the low-income residents has been previously recognized with two pro bono awards from the PBA and two awards from the Butler County Bar Association.

Laffey-Ferry is a graduate of Carlow University and the University of Pittsburgh School