2020 Pro Bono Awards

Erie County Lawyer Tina M. Fryling Honored with PBA Pro Bono Award, Dec. 3, 2020
A 2020 PBA Pro Bono Award was given to Tina M. Fryling of Erie on Dec. 3, 2020, at the Erie County Bar Association Annual Meeting over Zoom to celebrate her work for the public good. Fryling is a longstanding volunteer in the Legal Aid Volunteer Attorneys program in Erie County, completing Chapter 13 and Chapter 7 bankruptcies during the past year and providing significant hours of pro bono services. She helped an elderly man keep his home with the utilities on for the successful Chapter 13 bankruptcy; a second client obtained a fresh start and achieved his goals with his Chapter 7 bankruptcy. A voice for the voiceless, Fryling has been an active member of the Erie County Bar Association since 1995 and is currently a member of the Lawyer Referral & Information System Task Force. As noted by Northwestern Legal Services attorney, David Baxter, “She is always willing to help when I call.” Every lawyer licensed in Pennsylvania supports access to justice with a portion of their annual licensing fee going to legal aid programs, but it is the efforts of Fryling and all who do pro bono work and encourage others to join the fight to provide equal access to justice who truly promote the public good.


Berks County Lawyer Wortman Honored with PBA Pro Bono Award, Nov. 12, 2020
PBA President David Schwager appeared at the virtual Berks County Annual Meeting on Nov. 12, 2020 to honor Douglas Wortman, Liberty Law Group LLC, Reading, with a 2020 PBA Pro Bono Award. Read a profile of Wortman.


Bucks County Lawyer Smolow Honored with PBA Pro Bono Award, Oct. 27, 2020
As part of the celebration of the 12th National Pro Bono Week, Ronald J. Smolow of Newtown was recognized with a 2020 PBA Pro Bono Award on Oct. 27 for his support of low-income tenants facing eviction. PBA President David Schwager presented the award after a program on “Pro Bono in the Age of Covid-19” presented by PBA Pro Bono Coordinator David Trevaskis. Smolow was honored for his innovative eviction project. Last fall, after several years of research and development, he helped form a pro bono program that provided attorney representation and rental assistance to poor tenants facing eviction in the county. Building on funding provided by the United Way of Bucks County toward rental assistance for tenants, Smolow helped bring together a partnership between the Bucks County Bar Association, the Bucks County Opportunity Council, Legal Aid of Southeastern Pennsylvania and the Bucks County Division of Housing and Human Resources.


Franklin County Lawyer Finucane Honored with PBA Pro Bono Award, Oct 15, 2020
The Franklin County Bar Association (FCBA) celebrated attorneys who donate their time providing civil legal services to low-income individuals and families on Oct. 15, 2020. Michael B. Finucane of Michael Finucane Law Office, Chambersburg, was recognized with a 2020 PBA Pro Bono Award for “ his overall service as an active participant in the FCBA Pro Bono Program and for his continued work on a particular pro bono divorce case he started several years ago that is still in progress due to its complexity.” Read the FCBA news release. Watch the virtual award presentation.


Northampton County Lawyer Ward Honored with PBA Pro Bono Award, Sept. 2020
Alex Ward was presented with a PBA Pro Bono Award during the September 2020 Quarterly Meeting of the Northampton County Bar Association at Louise Moore Park, Easton. Alex handled quite a few cases this year with close to 30 hours of volunteer time.


Dauphin County Lawyer Pike Honored with PBA Pro Bono Award, Sept. 23, 2020
Although the coronavirus has made the PBA Pro Bono awards a virtual experience, PBA President David Schwager took to Zoom on September 23 to honor Harrisburg lawyer Kara P. Pike with a 2020 Pennsylvania Bar Association Pro Bono Award. Pike, the Dauphin County Bar Association’s 2020 Pro Bono Lawyer of the Year, was honored for her work on expungements, helping the neediest among us to clean up past mistakes so they can get on with their lives in positive ways. She has been doing these clinics with her colleagues at Saul Ewing, two to four times a year, for the past four years.


Washington County Lawyer Kostolansky Receives PBA Pro Bono Award, Feb. 21, 2020
Thomas Kostolansky was presented with a PBA Pro Bono Award Feb. 21, 2020, at the Washington County Bar Association (WCBA) annual meeting in Canonsburg. Kostolansky was recognized for his participation in the WCBA's pro bono and low-bono programs, including the Modest Means Program and the Legal Aid Private Attorney Involvement Conflict Program. Pictured below from left: Southwestern Pennsylvania Legal Services Executive Director Brian Gorman, Kostolansky and PBA Pro Bono Coordinator David K. Trevaskis.