Judge, lawyers honored with ABA Difference Makers Awards

The American Bar Association Solo, Small Firm and General Practice Division has chosen four legal professionals to receive its 2015 Difference Makers Award for making a difference by breaking down barriers and for service to the profession.

The award ceremony luncheon will take place at 11:30 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 25, at the InterContinental in Boston during the GPSolo 2015 Solo & Small Firm Summit: Strategies for Success.
This year’s award recipients are:

— Allan J. Webster, Jr.: A Los Angeles judge and former attorney, he has been active in legal and community activities. Webster’s wealth of experience includes being commissioner for the Compton, Calif., Judicial District; a judge of the Los Angeles Superior Court appointed by Gov. Gray Davis; president of the Langston Bar Association, L.A.; the California Association of Black Lawyers; and the National Bar Association. He has also served as president of Southwestern University School of Law’s Alumni Board and was inducted into the Hall of Fame for the Langston Bar Association and National Bar Association in 2010 and 2012, respectively. Currently, Webster serves as a member of the State of California’s Access and Fairness Advisory Committee. He attended Compton College and received his B.S. from Pepperdine University and his J.D. from Southwestern University School of Law. He will be honored for his service to the legal profession.

— George W. Haley: He is being honored posthumously. A Washington, D.C., lawyer who served in many roles during his public service and private practice, Haley died on May 13, 2015. Some of his accomplishments include being state senator, serving as chief counsel of the Federal Transit Administration and being appointed as chairman of the Postal Rate Commission by President George H.W. Bush. Haley was presented the Bennie Award by Morehouse College in 1998, and was a member of various associations some including the American Bar Association, the Federal Bar Association, and the National Bar Association. He was the recipient of the Peace Maker award, among others, and was licensed to practice in the District of Columbia and before the U.S. Supreme Court. Haley was a graduate of Morehouse College in Atlanta. He received his law degree from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville in 1952, as its second African-American graduate. Earlier this year, Haley received the Cal Ripkin, Jr. Foundation Award for achievements in positively impacting people around the world. He is being honored for making a difference by breaking barriers.

— Paul W. Lee: A Boston lawyer Of Counsel at Goodwin Procter LLP, he has a background in corporate and securities law, representing high technology and financial services companies. Lee is a member of the Board of The Boston Foundation and serves as chairman of the Board of the Asian Americans Advancing Justice/AAJC in Washington, D.C. In addition, he is a past chair of the Massachusetts Asian American Commission and currently serves as the board president for the Asian Community Development Corporation. Lee is a board member for Common Impact and a member of the WGBH Board of Overseers. He earned his B.S. degree in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from Columbia University and received his J.D. from Cornell Law School. He will be honored for making a difference in the local community.

— Daniel Hogan: A Boston lawyer, he is highly involved in various legal committee organizations. Some of his work includes serving on the Massachusetts Trial Courts’ Strategic Leadership Team and being elected president of Suffolk University Law School Alumni Board of Directors. He is up for reelection and if he wins would be the longest serving president of the statewide Association of Magistrates. Hogan serves in positions within the Massachusetts Bar and the American Bar Association. He earned his B.A. from Stonehill College, his J.D. from  Suffolk University Law School and a Master of Science degree in Public Affairs from the McCormack Institute at the University of Massachusetts. He will be honored for his service to the local community.