Hallowell, ME – Juliet Holmes-Smith has been honored by the Campaign for Justice with the 5th annual Peter J. DeTroy III Award for her work to equalize access to justice in Maine. Prior to her untimely death in August 2020, Juliet Holmes-Smith served as Executive Director of the Volunteer Lawyers Project.
The Campaign for Justice, begun in 2004, raises over $600,000 each year to help Mainers who cannot afford a lawyer for civil legal needs such as eviction, family law, loss of benefits and immigration. The Campaign benefits six providers of civil legal aid: Cumberland Legal Aid Clinic, Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project, Legal Services for the Elderly, Maine Equal Justice, Pine Tree Legal Assistance and Volunteer Lawyers Project.
Over ninety friends, family and former colleagues gathered virtually to honor Juliet. Justice Andrew M. Mead, who presented the award to Juliet’s husband, Campbell Badger, remarked on her unique set of attributes which made her a force to reckon with. Juliet was “very hard to say no to. A soft voice; a genteel manner; combined with a powerful will to get things done: a very effective combination,” he observed.
A short video dedicated to Juliet featured Kim Pittman of VLP’s board, who shared of Juliet, “Whatever was brought to her attention, she found a way to integrate it into VLP. Her dedication was 24/7 and she instilled this same dedication in her volunteers, many of us who do the pro bono work we do today because of her.”
Juliet’s passing has left a deep hole in the hearts of many, but her legacy has left a far-reaching and lasting effect on those who need it most here in Maine. The Campaign for Justice is honored to present her with this recognition of her many and varied contributions.
About the Peter J. DeTroy II Award: The Campaign for Justice created this award in 2017 in honor of Peter J. DeTroy III, Esq., who had died suddenly the previous year. This award is given to an individual who has worked to remove barriers for people who are vulnerable, to advance justice in Maine, and to further the good of the community, especially an individual whose work has been unheralded. A practicing lawyer in Maine beginning in 1972 and a founding partner of the firm Norman, Hanson & DeTroy, 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. The award is given as an honor to a deserving person whose work may otherwise go unheralded.