Augusta, ME – The Campaign for Justice is pleased to announce the 7th Annual Peter J. DeTroy III Award recipient is Toby Hollander, Esq., of Portland, Maine.
Toby served in the U.S. Navy and is a Vietnam veteran. Early in his career, he saw an unmet need for military veterans and together with a group of lawyers, began a legal collective to assist them with matters pertaining to military discharge. After moving to Maine, he began his legal aid career at Pine Tree Legal Assistance, a position he held until going into private practice. Toby is known throughout Maine for his decades of work as an advocate for children and other disadvantaged individuals. His exemplary guardian ad litem work, in particular, has been cited numerous times in his nominations for the DeTroy award. Toby’s countless hours of pro bono work and dedication to public service as a tireless champion for those in need exemplify all the qualities that the Peter J. DeTroy III Award upholds.
The Peter J. DeTroy III Award was established by the Campaign for Justice when Peter, a dedicated Campaign volunteer and one of Maine’s most esteemed lawyers, died suddenly on May 28, 2016, while riding his bike near his home in Portland. He was 68. A practicing lawyer in Maine since 1972 and a founding partner of the law firm Norman, Hanson & DeTroy, he became one of the state’s most accomplished lawyers over the decades. Peter served on a number of committees devoted to ensuring that the practice of law was inclusive, without discrimination, and without unnecessary barriers to young lawyers eager to learn. He was a problem-solver, a counselor, and a zealous protector and defender of rights. He was a lawyer who harmonized empathy, passion, trust, integrity, and thoughtfulness in every case he handled in his long and impressive career.
The Campaign for Justice, the annual fundraising campaign to the Maine Bar, aims to ease the gap between existing need for civil legal aid and current funding. Since 2004, the Campaign for Justice has worked collaboratively with Cumberland Legal Aid Clinic, Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project, Legal Services for the Elderly, Maine Equal Justice, Pine Tree Legal Assistance, and Volunteer Lawyers Project to raise money from local attorneys and judges.