Mary Pilkington Casey

At its annual Fall Reception on Oct. 6 at the Common Man Restaurant, the NH Women’s Bar Association presented the Marilla M. Ricker Award to Mary Pilkington-Casey. Attorney Diane Puckhaber, an attorney with Perkins & Puckhaber in Concord, nominated Pilkington-Casey for her exemplary public service on behalf of women and of the clients of the Franklin Pierce Law Center Family and Housing Clinic. 

Puckhaber spoke of the outstanding contributions made by Mary Pilkington-Casey, both as a professor at Franklin Pierce and as a mentor to students and to attorneys in general.  She also read remarks from Pierce Law Dean John Hutson who was unable to attend the presentation. Hutson saluted Pilkington-Casey’s tireless efforts in the classroom and in her work with the Clinic: “She is much admired, respected and beloved. Perhaps no other faculty member is so universally well-liked.... I believe that it is her passion for teaching and the causes that she pursues that make her such a superb lawyer and teacher. She has been a mainstay in our clinic for two decades now.”

Many other attorneys joined Puckhaber in her nomination of Pilkington-Casey.  “Mary Pilkington-Casey has not only performed exemplary public service on behalf of women, but she has paved the way of success for other women lawyers.... Mary has been a positive role model for women entering the legal profession, providing them with practical experience in legal expertise. [She] has balanced the demands of the legal profession, serving as a mentor for law students and those having entered the profession, and motherhood, serving as an example to her students and colleagues alike,” said Puckhaber. 

Pilkington-Casey said she was honored to receive the Ricker Award.  She introduced her husband Paul and her daughters Tess and Kate and spoke both humorously and touchingly of her experiences at the law school.  “I have to say I am amazed.  I am being recognized for being able to work in an area of law that is important to me: public service,” she said.  “It has also been important to me that women law students learn that they should be treated with respect and that they should treat others with respect.”

Past recipients of the award include Hon. Susan B. Carbon, Martha Van Oot, Cathy J. Green, Mary Susan Leahy, Linda S. Johnson, Deborah J. Cooper, Hon. Jean K. Burling, Emily Gray Rice and Ann McLane Kuster.

For information on the NHWBA, visit www.nhwba.org.

Home | About the Bar | For Members | For the Public | Legal Links | Publications | Online Store
Lawyer Referral Service | Law-Related Education | NHBA•CLE | NHBA Insurance Agency | NHMCLE
Search | Calendar

New Hampshire Bar Association
2 Pillsbury Street, Suite 300, Concord NH 03301
phone: (603) 224-6942 fax: (603) 224-2910
email: NHBAinfo@nhbar.org
© NH Bar Association Disclaimer