Kathryn Palladino and Katrina Ihrer honored with 2023 LASP Rising Star Awards; Maryjane B. Kelley Award recipient announced
From left: Carolyn Johnson, Chief Counsel; Kathryn Palladino, Staff Attorney; and Shawn Boehringer, Executive Director.
Katrina “Kaytee” Ihrer, Staff Attorney, at the Bucks County Justice Center in Doylestown.
(June 28, 2023)
SWARTHMORE – Kathryn M. Palladino and Katrina “Kaytee” Ihrer were honored with LASP Rising Star Awards at the Staff Retreat on June 28, 2023 at the Inn at Swarthmore. The Maryjane B. Kelley Award was presented to Rachel Houseman, Chester County Managing Attorney.
Prior to the retreat, all staff were invited to nominate colleagues for recognition. Executive Director Shawn Boehringer and Chief Counsel Carolyn Johnson presented the awards, which were last given in November 2020.
Kathryn started at LASP in August 2019 as a Staff Attorney based in the Norristown Office and in June 2023 moved to the Pottstown Office. She is LASP’s Montgomery County Pro Bono Coordinator. A former LASP volunteer, she also co-chairs the Montgomery Bar Association’s Pro Bono, Access to Justice, and Community Service Committee.
Katrina is a Staff Attorney based in the Doylestown Office. She joined LASP in November 2021. She practices dependency law, representing parents who have involvement with the Bucks County Children and Youth Social Services Agency.
Boehringer read excerpts from staff nominations in announcing Kathryn’s Rising Star Award. “She volunteered at LASP for over three years before joining us on staff. Her caseload has included public benefits and family matters, which are often very contentious. She has always provided compassionate and zealous representation to LASP’s clients and has taken on leadership roles at LASP and with the Montgomery Bar Association. She is a committed ambassador for LASP.” Another nomination read, “It's hard to believe she has only been at LASP for four years, given her depth of knowledge of the law, her ability to connect with clients, and her standing when it comes to the county legal community.”
In announcing Katrina’s Rising Star Award, Boehringer shared some of the staff nominations. “In the short time she has been with LASP, she has really made her mark in the local legal community. She is a respected colleague and respected” in the Bucks County legal community. … “She manages a large caseload of challenging cases, prevailing in many from the start of her tenure. She has brilliantly created her own legal forms from scratch to keep track of all the information on cases to which she is assigned. She covered for staff vacancies during periods of transition. Despite managing a large caseload, she has proven to be an extraordinarily dedicated and fierce advocate for LASP’s clients. She is extremely knowledgeable in the area in which she practices and perhaps more importantly, she has successfully built relationships and trust with clients. … Attorneys who have worked with her and observed her in court have gone out of their way to make sure LASP management is aware of the litigation skills she possesses and her ability to obtain the best outcome for clients and their families. Due to her impressive advocacy and motivation to improve the court system, she was selected to serve on a court task force led by the judge who presides over most of her cases. She is respected by their peers, and is very committed to representing underserved parents of the community.”
About the LASP Rising Star Award
The award is presented to a staff member with less than five years of tenure who:
Has engaged in energetic, effective advocacy for clients;
Has accepted challenging assignments and has actively gone “above and beyond” that normally required of a LASP staff member;
Has been a good team player;
Has demonstrated strong leadership and leadership potential; and
Has been an enthusiastic ambassador promoting the importance of LASP’s work in the community and with other young professionals.
About the Maryjane B. Kelley Award
Maryjane B. Kelley was a longtime LASP attorney who passed away in 2018. Maryjane worked in LASP’s Doylestown Office from 2002-2018, serving as Managing Attorney. Respected by the bar, the judiciary, and by the staff she supervised and mentored, Maryjane compiled a distinguished record of community and public interest service during her 16 years at LASP, and long before her LASP tenure, as a Commander in the Navy JAG Corps.
The Maryjane B. Kelley Award is presented to a longtime LASP staff member who:
Demonstrates empathy and compassion for clients;
Embodies the highest standards of ethics and professionalism in his or her work;
Has distinguished him or herself through effective advocacy on behalf of clients;
Has served as a role model and mentor in the professional development of staff; and
Has consistently embraced, supported, and furthered the mission of LASP.
More photos from the 2023 LASP Staff Retreat: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjAKGCK