HARRISBURG (June 1, 2006) � The Pennsylvania Bar Association (PBA) Commission on Women in the Profession will present the Lynette Norton Award to Elizabeth Maguschak, attorney-in-charge of the McNees Wallace & Nurick LLC Hazleton office, during its 13th annual conference June 7 at Hershey Lodge. The award will be presented at a noon luncheon, which will feature Christine Todd Whitman, former New Jersey governor and a former head of the Environmental Protection Agency, as the keynote speaker.

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. Lynette Norton was an advocate for young women in the legal profession and worked to promote literacy and women�s rights. This award is designed to recognize and encourage female attorneys who excel in litigation skills and who are devoted to mentoring female lawyers.

�Liz is an example of success. As a mother, wife and respected attorney, Liz continues to strive for ways to remove barriers that female attorneys may encounter in the legal profession and to keep these female attorneys moving towards partnership track,� Steven J. Weingarten, Esq., said in his nomination of Maguschak.

Maguschak was hired by McNees Wallace & Nurick LLC in 1985 as an associate. In 1991, she was the third woman to be elected partner and now serves as chair of the Education Law Group and is a member of the Labor and Employment Group. Currently, Maguschak serves as the attorney-in-charge of the firm�s Hazleton office. As a mentor and role model, Maguschak educates the firm�s associates on balancing both professional and life responsibilities.

In 2005, Maguschak was honored with the Greater Hazleton Chamber of Commerce Athena Award, which is presented to a businesswoman who has demonstrated the highest level of professional accomplishment. She also is a past recipient of the PEARL Award from the YWCA of Greater Hazleton, the Woman Inspiring Hope and Possibilities Award by the Alumni Office at Bloomsburg University and the Tribute to Women and Industry Award by the YWCA of Greater Harrisburg.

Maguschak is a certified federal court mediator for the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania and currently chairs the Lower Luzerne County Bar Association Pro Bono Legal Clinic Committee. She is a member of the Publications Committee of the National Association of College and University Attorneys and is a past program panelist for the PBA Commission on Women in the Profession. In addition, Maguschak served on the board of directors of the Dauphin County Bar Association.

She is a past president of the YWCA of Greater Harrisburg and led the group�s capital campaign to raise $8 million. She also served on the board of the United Way of the Capital Region. She is a past president of the Kiwanis Club of Hazleton and currently serves as the chair of the United Way of Greater Hazelton Board of Directors.

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