2016 ALA Conference & Expo

Outstanding Association Volunteers

Each year the Board of Directors identifies members who have made significant contributions to the association. The first of these awards went to Janine Book of Pepper Hamilton LLP in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Janine joined ALA in 1996. In addition to serving as President of the Pittsburgh chapter, at the international level she has served as Regional Officer, Director, Annual Conference Committee member and – most recently – IP Retreat Planning Chair.

The second Outstanding Association Volunteer Award went to Paul Farnsworth of Woods Oviatt Gilman LLP in Rochester, New York.  Paul joined ALA in 1994. He quickly became involved with the former Rochester Chapter, and has since held multiple roles both locally and at the international level. He served on ALA’s Board of Directors for more than five years, and he served as ALA President. When he left the Board in 2015, he immediately became the Chair of the International Relations Committee.

Spirit of ALA Award

Several years ago, the ALA Board of Directors created an award to recognize individuals for special and unique achievement – the Spirit of ALA Award. The traits and qualities that this award recognizes are leadership, commitment, tenacity and dedication. The Board felt this award should be the Association’s highest honor.

This year’s Spirit of ALA recipient has served ALA tirelessly at the chapter level, through committee service, as a Regional Officer and on the ALA Board of Directors: the Chair of the Professional Development Advisory Committee, Steven M. Morris, CLM, SPHR, of Allen Matkins Leck Gamble in San Francisco, California.

Quest Award

The Quest Award recognizes a new member of ALA for his or her conviction, dedication and relentless pursuit of personal and professional excellence. There were more than 500 eligible candidates this year, 11 of whom were nominated by their chapters for this recognition.

This year’s Quest Award winner is Shundrallah A. Covington of Murray Law, PA in Miami Lakes, Florida. Shun joined ALA and immediately became involved in chapter activities. During a lunch with a board member, the idea for the chapter’s Diversity & Inclusion Committee was born. Being new to the organization, Shun was reluctant to lead this committee but instead served as a member. Her enthusiasm and passion led to the coordination of a half-day diversity seminar as well as a diversity spotlight for each chapter meeting. To challenge herself even further, Shun joined a Certified Legal Manager (CLM)SM study group and became an advocate for the group.

IDEA Awards

ALA’s IDEA Awards program, now in its third year, seeks to recognize initiatives that model innovation, development, engagement and advancement in the legal community. Congratulations to the following recipients for 2016:

• Armstrong Teasdale, LLP increased the level of interaction between young associates and firm leadership, in order to help them elevate their status in the firm and get on the partnership track. Watch the video.
• ALA Greater Phoenix-Valley of the Sun Chapter created a six-week internship program where students would be paired with business partners and member law firms to gain working knowledge of the business of law. Watch the video.
• ALA Committee on Diversity and Inclusion created a “60 Tips in 75 Minutes” presentation to provide a better understanding of the dimensions of diversity, to educate members about updating current policies within their firms, and more. Watch the video.
• Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP took a new approach to public service by organizing a series of projects that together made a greater impact than any single project might, raising over $165,000 and contributing more than 1,500 hours of service. Watch the video.
• ALA Greater Los Angeles Chapter developed a unique interactive learning experience in a short, dynamic format based on a current reality TV show; the result was their workshop "Sharks Rank." Watch the video.

Complete details regarding ALA's IDEA Awards program can be found at alanet.org/awards.