Columbia Announces 2005 Winners of Abely Awards

Awards given to practitioners, student for helping domestic violence victims

The Abely Awards, co-sponsored by Columbia Law School, the Sanctuary for Families' Center for Battered Women's Legal Services (the Legal Center) and Davis Polk & Wardwell, were established to honor the memory of Maryellen Abely, an alumna of Columbia Law School, an associate at Davis Polk, and a pro bono attorney in Sanctuary for Families' Legal Center, who died in 1995 after a long fight with cancer.

Since 1997, the Abely Award for Leading Women & Children to Safety has been presented annually to a person who has helped victims of domestic violence with the compassion, zeal, energy, and dedication for which Maryellen Abely is remembered. This year's recipient is The Honorable Betty Weinberg Ellerin, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court Appellate Division, First Department. The award will be presented by The Honorable Judith S. Kaye, Chief Judge of the State of New York.

The Abely Pro Bono Achievement Award was created in 2001 to recognize the contributions of extraordinarily dedicated attorneys who have consistently demonstrated a professional commitment to improving the lives of clients of Sanctuary's Legal Center. This year's recipient is Mary Rothwell Davis, Volunteer Apellate Counsel at Sanctuary's Legal Center.

A Maryellen Abely Fellowship, which supports a summer internship at Sanctuary's Legal Center, is awarded annually to a student at Columbia Law School who has demonstrated a commitment to working with victims of domestic abuse. The 2005 Fellowship was awarded to Anya Emerson.

For more information on the awards, contact Hilary Maddux, Deputy Director, Sanctuary for Families, (212) 349-6009, ext. 290, [email protected]

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