The Massachusetts Bar Association honored Iraqi attorney Sua'ad
Abbas Salman Al-Lami for her work as a global leader in equal
rights with a Public Service Award on May 25.
Al-Lami has made it her life's work to advance women's rights in
Iraq. Voted the 2008 Iraq Female Lawyer of the Year by the Iraq
Women's Foundation, she received the 2009 International Women of
Courage Award from U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton
and First Lady Michelle Obama.
She is currently working toward her LLM in International Law at
the University of Minnesota Law School, where she serves as a
Hubert Humphrey Fellow.
"The Public Service Award is presented to individuals for their
contributions to their community and for furthering the public
understanding and respect for the law and showing extraordinary
leadership and dedication to improving the administration of
justice," said MBA President-elect Denise Squillante, who worked
closely with Al-Lami's host, the Hon. George F. Phelan of the
Probate and Family Court, to coordinate Al-Lami's visit to
Massachusetts.
Al-Lami's trip spanned several days, during which she met with
Gov. Deval Patrick, participated in a roundtable at Harvard's
Kennedy School, and attended a host of meetings with key leaders in
the Massachusetts legal community.
At the May 25 event, co-sponsored by the Massachusetts
Association of Women Lawyers, Phelan spoke of Al-Lami's
fearlessness. "The magnitude of what she has done is magnified by
where she's done it," he said.
Following her acceptance of the MBA award, Al-Lami addressed the
crowd and thanked everyone for "all of this kindness." After
sharing her own inspiring crusade to advance women's rights in
Iraq, she suggested others follow her lead. "I encourage more women
to be involved in women's rights issues."