Pierce Atwood Recognizes Attorneys and Staff at 12th Annual Pro Bono & Community Service Awards Ceremony

Each year, Pierce Atwood recognizes attorneys and staff members who have made outstanding contributions to our communities during the previous year. In its 12th annual Pro Bono & Community Service Awards Ceremony, held on March 24, 2026, Pierce Atwood recognized those who personify the culture of giving back to the community through pro bono and community service efforts. 

Lancaster Pro Bono Attorney of the Year

Named in honor of longtime partner Ralph I. Lancaster, Jr., this award is presented to the attorney who contributed the highest number of pro bono hours during the past year. This year’s Lancaster award was presented to Portland-based litigation attorney Cameron Goodwin, with 126.3 hours. The majority of Cam’s pro bono time was devoted to matters brought to Pierce Atwood through its legal service partners, Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project, Maine Volunteer Lawyers Project, and the Pine Tree Legal Assistance Eviction Defense Project, which provides legal support to low-income tenants facing eviction. Cam’s broad and deep commitment to assisting those most vulnerable exemplifies the ideals of pro bono legal service in Maine.

McKusick Community Impact Award

Named after Vincent Lee McKusick, former Chief Justice of the Maine Supreme Judicial Court and Pierce Atwood attorney and friend for more than 50 years, this award recognizes one attorney and one staff member who have made significant, positive impacts in their communities through pro bono and/or community service. This year’s award recipients are:

• Brigid Bowser, a business attorney in the Boston office. Brigid has spent four years volunteering with Minds Matter Boston, a college-readiness program for low-income Boston-area high school students. After three years as a mentor, Brigid is now one of four Sophomore Team Leads, leading a group of 20 mentors and their mentees for five hours every Saturday during the school year.
• Julie Biggers, director of marketing, is a volunteer advisor for the Olympia Snowe Women’s Leadership Institute program, which seeks to raise the confidence and aspirations of high school girls by helping them develop the skills needed to be leaders in their lives, families, careers, and communities.

Scribner Firm Impact Award

Named for longtime former Pierce Atwood partner Fred Scribner, whose legacy endures through the firm’s commitment to the community, its employees, and the law, this award is given annually to one attorney and one staff member who work to keep pro bono and community service top of mind throughout the firm. This year’s winners are:

• Kathleen Heyer, a real estate attorney in the Boston office, who played a key role in establishing the Massachusetts Land Court’s Tax Lien Foreclosure Clinic, where property owners subject to tax lien foreclosure are provided with pro bono legal assistance. Kathleen was the driving force behind Pierce Atwood’s participation in the clinic, and her ongoing efforts to staff the clinic keep pro bono top of mind throughout the firm.
• Mary DeFontes, office manager for the Providence office. For the last 10 years, Mary has researched, planned, scheduled, and coordinated their annual Day of Community Service. During that time, this annual day of service has benefited many different local organizations, including Save the Bay, Norman Bird Sanctuary, Rhode Island Food Bank, and most recently, Children’s Friend.  Mary’s dedication, planning, and infectious enthusiasm has led to nearly 100% participation every year. 

Pierce Atwood’s commitment to the communities it serves has become a lasting, continuous thread, woven deeply into the fabric of the firm. That fabric now stretches across seven East Coast offices, where in 2025, the firm provided more than 1500 hours of pro bono legal services to 40 organizations, and nearly 4000 volunteer hours of community service. For more information about the firm’s commitment to the community, please visit the pro bono pages of our website.