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Manchester lawyer Jon Ross Receives Grassroots Advocacy Award
Ross, president of the NH Bar in 1985-86, has been at the forefront of efforts to preserve free legal services for the poor. A former chair of the ABA Standing Committee on Legal Aid and Indigent Defendants, Ross has testified before Congress regarding the Legal Services Corporation on behalf of the ABA. Annually, he travels to Washington to lobby NH's Congressional delegation in support of federal legal services funding. Last year, Ross worked to prevent a potentially devastating $104.2 million (25.7 percent) proposed cut to the Legal Services Corporation budget of $404.2 million in fiscal year 2010. While the House of Representatives proposed funding LSC at $300 million, the Senate favored an allocation of $396 million. Ultimately, funding was set at $348 million. As a tribute to his devotion to equal access to justice, the L. Jonathan Ross Award for Outstanding Commitment to Legal Services for the Poor is annually presented in his honor by the New Hampshire Bar Association. In addition, he has been a stalwart volunteer and mentor to other attorneys representing poor people through the NHBA Pro Bono Referral Program. His dedication earned him the distinction of the Pro Bono Program's most prestigious award being named after him. "I accept this award only as a stand-in for the many who do this necessary work every day," said Ross. "The need for advocacy for legal services for the poor is never ending. We must continue to keep our views before our government in order to ensure equal access to justice." "Jon is an unyielding campaigner for legal services and an incredibly effective advocate for access to justice," said ABA President Wm. T. (Bill) Robinson III. |
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