Awards & Award Recipients
Awards & Award Recipients
Board of Governor Awards
The Distinguished Service Award honors an attorney for outstanding service to the membership of the Alaska Bar Association.
2026 Distinguished Service Award Recipient – R. Collin Middleton
The Professionalism Award recognizes an attorney who exemplifies the attributes of the true professional, whose conduct is always consistent with the highest standards of practice, and who displays appropriate courtesy and respect for clients and other attorneys. The Professionalism award has traditionally been presented to an attorney in the judicial district where the convention is being held.
2026 Professionalism Award Recipient – Stacie Kraly
The Robert K. Hickerson Public Service Award recognizes lifetime achievement for outstanding dedication and service in the State of Alaska in providing pro bono legal services or legal services to low-income or indigent persons.
2026 Robert K. Hickerson Public Service Award Recipient – Leigh Dickey
The Layperson Service Award honors a public member for distinguished service to the membership of the Alaska Bar Association.
2026 Layperson Service Award Recipient – Autumn Smith-Amy
Honorary Bar Member
This is not a traditional award given by the Board of Governors. However, according to the Bylaws of the Alaska Bar Association, the Board can vote to give individuals “honorary membership in the Association”. Article II, Section 1(a) (4) states: “Deserving Alaskan citizens, not already a member of the Bar, and distinguished visitors who have contributed to the purposes of the Alaska Bar Association may be accorded honorary membership in the Association upon a vote of the members of the Board or a majority of the members in attendance at an annual business meeting of the Bar.”
This award has only been given three times:
- 1982: Ed Crutchfield
- 2021: Dean Erwin Chemerinsky
- 2026: Thomas Metzloff
The Judge Nora Guinn Award is presented to a person who has made an extraordinary or sustained effort to assist Alaska’s rural residents, especially its Native population, overcome language and cultural barriers to obtaining justice through the legal system.
2026 Judge Nora Guinn Award Recipient – Alex Cleghorn
Bryan P. Timbers Pro Bono Awards
Pro Bono Awards: Alaska’s qualified legal services providers – Alaska Legal Services Corporation, Alaska Network on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault, Alaska Institute for Justice, ACLU of Alaska, and Alaska Free Legal Answers – select each year an attorney and a law firm that has donated extraordinary time, resources, and talents to pro bono efforts in Alaska.
2026 Individual –Jessica Falke
2026 Out-of-State Individual – Hans Huggler
2026 Firm – Birch Horton Bittner & Cherot
Court Community Outreach Award
View a historical list of the Court Community Outreach Awards.
Additional Awards
The Rabinowitz Public Service Award is given each year by the Board of Trustees of the Alaska Bar Foundation to the individual whose life work has demonstrated a commitment to public service in the State of Alaska. The Award is funded through generous gifts from the public in honor of the late Alaska Supreme Court Justice Jay Rabinowitz.
2026 Alaska Bar Foundation Jay Rabinowitz Public Service Award Recipient – Susan Orlansky
Visit the Anchorage Bar Association website to view the current recipient of the Ben Walters’ Award.
The International Law Section Human Rights Award recognizes an Alaska Bar member who has helped advance the field of human rights in international law, either locally or abroad.
