Three lawyers and a mobile legal services provider will receive the American Bar Association 2022 GPSolo Difference Makers Awards. The awards recognize extraordinary individuals and providers who “make a difference” by breaking down barriers or through community service, pro bono work or service to the profession. The award ceremony will be held at a ticketed luncheon on October 7 during the 2022 GPSolo Fall Leadership Meeting at the Hilton Columbus Downtown in Columbus, Ohio.
“The Solo, Small Firm and General Practice Division salutes the 2022 Difference Maker Award winners. Whether it’s giving back to their communities, providing pro bono legal assistance or enhancing the legal profession, these four honorees showcase the very best of Main Street law,” GPSolo Chair Scott C. LaBarre said.
The honorees are:
• Making a Difference by Breaking Barriers Award: Alexandra Oprea is a Romani lawyer, author and activist who has worked primarily in Harlem, N.Y., but recently moved to Kearny, N.J. She has advocated for Romani women’s representation in the global arena and has worked with Romani asylum-seekers for decades. In addition, Oprea has published or contributed to several books and articles in the areas of reproductive rights, racism, domestic violence and child marriages.
• Making a Difference Through Community Service Award: Kelly A. Waters is a partner at national defense firm Wood, Smith Henning, & Berman LLP, where she has 25 years of experience defending complex litigation matters. Additionally, Waters serves as a municipal court judge in the townships of Union and Scotch Plains, New Jersey. She also works to improve the lives of people with multiple sclerosis, the poor and underserved, as well as those in the arts and LGBTQ+ communities.
• Making a Difference Through Pro Bono Work Award: The Ohio Justice Bus is a fully equipped mobile legal aid office that provides legal services to rural and underserved Ohioans at no cost to clients. A nonprofit organization, it was launched in the fall of 2019, and after a pandemic-induced hiatus, it is back on the road . Angie Lloyd, executive director of the Ohio Access to Justice Foundation and president of the Ohio Justice Bus, will accept the award.
• Making a Difference Through Service to the Profession Award: David H. Lefton, a partner with Barron, Peck, Bennie, & Schlemmer in Cincinnati, Ohio, chaired the Solo, Small Firm & General Practice Division from 2016-17 and served as president of the Ohio State Bar Association in 2021-22. He has a long record of service to GPSolo and the ABA, serving in the ABA House of Delegates as an Ohio state bar delegate and on the ABA Commission for Continuing Education and the ABA Group and Prepaid Legal Service Committee.
