Mona Igram, the attorney in charge of the Committee for Public Counsel Services’ Youth Advocacy Division office in Lowell, has been honored with the Lawrence Bar Association’s Leadership Award.
The award is given yearly to an attorney “who serves not only their clients and other constituents, but also generously gives back by donating services, money, and most importantly, time to make their communities a better place,” according to the bar association.
She received the award on Oct. 24 at the Andover Country Club.
Igram, who has been attorney in charge of the Lowell office since 2011, said “it is an honor to receive the Leadership Award from my colleagues” at the bar association.
“Being able to work on behalf of young people in the city of Lawrence has been one of the true highlights of my career as a public defender,” Igram said. “Their resiliency, imagination and drive to create a better life for themselves is truly inspiring.”
Joshua Dohan, director of the Youth Advocacy Division (YAD), said he was “delighted but not surprised” to hear that Igram received the prestigious honor.
“Mona has long been an important leader of the Juvenile Defense Bar in Massachusetts and an inspiration to anyone interested in reducing racial and ethnic disparities in our society,” Dohan said.
Igram first joined YAD as a consultant to the Juvenile Defense Network in 2008. She participates regularly in legal education training sessions for lawyers, community organizations and youth.
Prior to joining YAD, she was in private practice with the Law Offices of Aruri & Igram in Lowell, representing youth and adults in delinquency, criminal defense, and care and protection matters in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. Prior to her time in private practice, she was a staff attorney with the New Hampshire Public Defender, where represented adults and juveniles in criminal cases.
She is a graduate of the University of Iowa and the State University of New York at Buffalo School of Law.
The Youth Advocacy Division ensures that every child from an indigent family in Massachusetts has access to zealous legal representation that incorporates a Youth Development Approach, resulting in fair treatment in court.
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