Who Inspired You This Year? Help Us Honor Excellence in Access to Justice!
Requesting nominations for the Maine Justice Foundation 2026 Annual Awards
The Maine Justice Foundation has established three prestigious annual awards to recognize individuals who have demonstrated exceptional dedication, innovation, and impact in advancing access to justice.
Howard H. Dana, Jr. Award: Established in 1984 and named for Justice Howard H. Dana, Jr., this award is presented as a means of recognizing an individual lawyer’s significant contribution to Maine bar projects that enhance access to civil legal assistance to Maine community members in need and for outstanding service in the advancement of the Foundation’s mission of ensuring access to justice for all.
New Lawyer Award: Established by the Foundation in 2010, this award recognizes lawyers who have been in practice for fewer than ten years and who exemplify the ideals of increasing access to justice. Recipients provide outstanding and widely recognized pro bono services or other meaningful contributions to the legal profession and the public good, demonstrating a strong commitment to the Foundation’s mission.
Downing Award: The Downing Award was created by the family of Thomas P. Downing, Jr. after his untimely death in 1985 and recognizes legal aid staff dedicated to access to justice for vulnerable and low-income Mainers. Tom Downing was one of the first attorneys to work at Pine Tree Legal Assistance after its inception. A long-standing process is in place to identify annual honorees with representatives of Tom Downing’s family, and the Executive Directors of the six core legal aid providers.
We invite you to help us recognize those who inspire and advance access to justice. Please submit your nominations by email and for the Howard H. Dana, Jr. Award and the New Lawyer Award, explaining how each nominee meets the award criteria identified above by November 30, 2025.