HARRISBURG, Pa. (April 17, 2023) — The Pennsylvania Bar Association (PBA) Commission on Women in the Profession (WIP) will present its annual Anne X. Alpern Award to Philadelphia lawyer Lynn A. Marks on May 4 at the WIP Annual Conference held during the Pennsylvania Bar Association (PBA) Annual Meeting in Philadelphia.
The Alpern Award is presented annually to a female lawyer or judge who demonstrates excellence in the legal profession and who makes a significant professional impact on women in the law. Established in 1994, the award was named for Anne X. Alpern, Pennsylvania’s attorney general in 1959 and the first woman state attorney general in the nation.
With a lifelong commitment to social reform, Marks began her career as the legal director and executive director for Women Organized Against Rape in Philadelphia. While in that role, she served as a victim advocate in the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office. In addition, as a friend of the court, she argument a landmark case before the Pennsylvania Supreme Court regarding privacy of victim-counselor communications. She later spearheaded a successful legislative effort before the Pennsylvania General Assembly to enact the country’s first statutory privilege for such communications.
For 25 years, Marks served as the executive director of Pennsylvanians for Modern Courts, a statewide organization that works to promote a fair, independent and inclusive judicial system in Pennsylvania. During her tenure, Marks focused on strengthening the disciplinary process for judges who engage in misconduct; changing the selection process for appellate judges; improving the jury system for jurors; and educating the public about the importance of jury duty, judicial elections, a bias-free system of justice and an adequately funded court system.
In 2017, Marks was recruited to launch and lead the First Judicial District Juror Participation Initiative. The effort involved a diverse group of court stakeholders who made recommendations for expanding and increasing participation in the Philadelphia jury pool.
Marks is the longest serving member of Interbranch Commission for Gender, Racial and Ethnic Fairness and currently serves as chair of its Jury Services Committee. She was appointed to the role in 2005 by former Pennsylvania Gov. Edward G. Rendell and reappointed by former Pennsylvania Gov. Thomas W. Wolf and former Pennsylvania House of Representatives Speaker Bryan D. Cutler.
Active in the PBA, Marks has been a member of the WIP since 1994. Her professional involvement includes serving as a zone one delegate to the PBA House of Delegates; co-chair of the WIP Executive Council and Legislative Committee; and member of the Civil and Equal Rights, Minority Bar and Judicial Administration committees. She is also a member of the Philadelphia Bar Association and serves on its Civil Gideon and Access to Justice Task Force and Delivery of Legal Services Committee.
Among Marks’ numerous accolades are the American Judicature Society Award for Contributions to the Administration of Justice, First Judicial District Pro Bono Award, Living Beyond Breast Cancer Butterfly Award, Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape Victims’ Rights Award, and Philadelphia Bar Association Sandra Day O’Connor and Andrew Hamilton awards. She also received a Philadelphia City Council Lifetime Achievement Proclamation. She participated in the U.S. Department of State Expert on Court Reform and Civic Engagement mission to Argentina.
Marks earned her J.D. from University of Pennsylvania Law School in Philadelphia, and her B.A. from Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, New York.
For more information on the WIP awards luncheon or the PBA Annual Meeting, visit https://www.pabar.org/pdf/2023/AnnualMeeting2023.pdf.