June 10, 2014

2014 Victims’ Rights Awards Announced

NCVLI’s annual Crime Victim Law Conference provides the opportunity to pause and acknowledge the amazing work of the heroes and heroines of the victims’ rights movement.  These are the people who help victims move toward survivorship and who inspire the rest of us to continue fighting for justice each day.  Please join NCVLI as we honor these amazing people.
2014 Victims’ Rights Award Winners

NCVLI’s annual Crime Victim Law Conference provides the opportunity to pause and acknowledge the amazing work of the heroes and heroines of the victims’ rights movement.  These are the people who help victims move toward survivorship and who inspire the rest of us to continue fighting for justice each day.  Please join NCVLI as we honor these amazing people.

Outstanding Achievement Awards

Amy Terrible, JD
2014 Legal Advocacy Award

NCVLI’s Legal Advocacy Award recognizes crime victims’ rights attorneys who have dedicated and committed their time to representing victims of crime in the criminal justice system.

In 2012, Amy Terrible launched the Crime Victim Advocacy Center of Tulare County to represent victims of crime in Central California.  A former prosecutor, Amy’s true passion is to achieve justice for victims by directly representing them in criminal cases against their offenders.  She has worked on a range of cases from representation of the surviving family of a murder victim, to a complex case involving multiple jurisdictions in the theft of a car across state lines, to stepping in as the attorney for a child-victim in family court, to representation of domestic violence victims.  Click here to learn more.

Catherine Harper Lee
2014 Gail Burns-Smith Excellence in Victim Services Award

A member of our Board of Directors from 2002 until her untimely death in 2009, Gail Burns-Smith was a tireless leader in the victim services community.  This award honors her legacy by recognizing outstanding efforts to advance the rights of crime victims.

Catherine Harper Lee is the founder and executive director of The Justice League of Ohio, which is Ohio’s only Crime Victims’ Rights Legal Clinic.  For the past 20 years, Cathy has been pursuing her passion:  restoring faith and balance in the criminal justice system and she founded TJLO in 2003 help her pursue that passion.  TJLO was founded on the principle that victims of crime deserve and require legal representation.  The Justice League’s Crime Victims Rights’ Legal Clinic provides free legal representation to victims of violent crime throughout Ohio to ensure their constitutional and statutory rights are enforced and protected from the time a crime is first reported throughout the criminal justice process.  Click here to learn more.

Courthouse Dogs Foundation
2014 Victims’ Rights Partnership Award

NCVLI’s Victims’ Rights Partnership Award recognizes the collaborative efforts of individuals and/or organizations who have devoted their time to advancing crime victims’ rights.

The Courthouse Dogs Foundation is a nonprofit staffed by retired senior deputy prosecuting attorney Ellen O’Neill-Stephens, veterinarian Celeste Walsen, and the lovely courthouse facility dog Molly B.  Together they promote justice with compassion by helping prosecutors, detectives, victim advocates, judges and legislators understand how facility dogs can provide a sense of well-being and security to vulnerable victims and witnesses during stressful legal proceedings.  Through their tireless efforts, Ellen and Celeste have shared their innovative program and partnered with other professionals to protect victims. As a result there are now 67 courthouse facility dogs working in 25 states.  Click here to learn more.


2014 NCVLI Service Awards

Shelbi Day, JD
2014 Pro Bono of the Year

NCVLI’s Pro Bono Award recognizes an attorney or firm who has dedicated significant time to partnering with NCVLI in the protection, enforcement, and advancement of victims’ rights.  The recipient has either worked alongside NCVLI attorneys to assist with NCVLI’s work on legal technical assistance requests, amicus curiae briefs, and public policy projects; has provided direct representation to victims of crime in criminal proceedings; or, has served as local counsel in the filing of amicus briefs. 

Shelbi Day has devoted her career to civil rights work and has had the privilege of working on several precedent setting cases on a diverse range of issues. Since 2007, Day has focused her work exclusively on LGBT- and HIV- related issues. Most recently, she was a Staff Attorney in the Western Regional Office of Lambda Legal, Staff Attorney at the ACLU of Florida, and Staff Attorney at the Southern Regional Office of the National Center for Lesbian Rights.  She is a graduate of the University of Florida Levin College of Law.  Shelbi Day began volunteering for NCVLI in 2013 after relocating to Portland. Since her arrival, she has worked on legal research memoranda and supported NCVLI’s amicus curiae efforts.  Her work has helped NCVLI support survivors across the country.  Click here to learn more.

Elizabeth Morrison
2014 Volunteer of the Year

NCVLI’s Volunteer Award recognizes an individual who has demonstrated a deep commitment to victims’ rights by providing significant contributions to NCVLI’s work on behalf of victims. 

Elizabeth Morrison came to NCVLI in November 2013 after graduating from Washington State University with her Bachelors of Arts.  There she studied Political Science with an emphasis in Pre-Law.  Her interests include the Military Legal System as well International Law.  From event planning to data entry to creating publications, Elizabeth has been a part of many aspects of NCVLI’s work for victims.  So far Elizabeth has donated more than 250 hours to NCVLI with plans to continue donating through the end of the year.  Click here to learn more.