HARRISBURG, Pa. (March 3, 2023) — The Pennsylvania Bar Association (PBA) Conference of County Bar Leaders (CCBL) has honored Janis Hackett, executive director of the Butler County Bar Association (BCBA), with its annual Arthur J. Birdsall Award. The award was presented during the 57th Annual Seminar of the Conference of County Bar Leaders on March 3 in Hershey.
The award is given to a county bar executive who demonstrates professional excellence, who is committed to the success of his or her bar association and who significantly enhances the stature of his or her bar association. It is named in honor of Arthur J. Birdsall, the PBA’s county bar services director who retired after nearly 40 years of support to local bar associations.
Since assuming the role of BCBA’s executive director in 2009, Hackett has worked to maintain a welcoming environment for lawyers, the judiciary and the public in Butler County. During her tenure, she has fostered positive relationships between young lawyers and seasoned lawyers, while encouraging members to become active in the organized bar at local and state levels.
Among the notable BCBA initiatives under Hackett’s direction include:
- Collaborating with local agencies to develop a legal literacy workshop on expungement to help Butler County residents with criminal backgrounds return to the workforce
- Establishing the BCBA Foundation and initiating a capital campaign to ensure the foundation’s endowment is self-sustaining
- Partnering with a community college to bring the first Wills for Heroes program to the county so volunteer attorneys could provide free estate planning documents to veterans and first responders
- Developing a veterans treatment court to provide legal assistance to veterans charged with crimes who are struggling with addiction, mental illness or co-occurring disorders
- Coordinating pro bono lawyers to provide credit counseling and legal representation to facilitate communications between plaintiffs and defendants in credit and mortgage foreclosure actions
A strong advocate of the CCBL, Hackett attends the conference annually and strongly encourages her board leaders to participate. In addition, she frequently lends her support to the CCBL programming committee by sharing her expertise on numerous panels and recruiting others to serve in leadership capacities.
Active in the Pennsylvania Association of Bar Executives (PABE), Hackett has served as the association’s treasurer for the past six years. During her tenure, she has ensured the transparency and accuracy of the association’s finances. As a PABE member, she welcomes programming suggestions, promotes events and encourages colleagues to become involved in the organization.
The CCBL, whose membership includes leaders from county bar associations throughout the state and from the Pennsylvania Bar Association, organizes a yearly educational conference focusing on the exchange of innovative bar association projects and ideas and on the development of mutually beneficial relationships among bar leaders that improve the legal profession.