We are so honored to announce the winners of our annual Smokeball Beacon Awards, celebrating lawyers who go above and beyond to strengthen and uplift the communities they already hold together with their work. These community heroes were selected by our panel of judges from a tremendous pool of caring and impressive legal professionals who don’t tap out when they close their laptops for the day.
⭐ After building her own family law practice from the ground up, Elleni Kalouris operates her firm to provide free and reduced-cost legal representation to immigrants, survivors of domestic violence, and other underserved members of her community.
⭐ Luke Shealey is committed to ensuring every person facing the death penalty has access to a fair defense. As a capital defense attorney and volunteer with the nonprofit Suzerain, he travels across the country teaching attorneys in under-resourced jurisdictions advanced jury selection and trial strategy at no cost.
⭐ As Founder and Managing Partner of ElevEn Law Firm, Krystle Myers has reached more than 4,000 young women, trained nonprofit leaders representing more than 200 organizations, and contributed over 1,150 hours of volunteer and reduced-fee service.
We are so grateful to every legal professional that is committed to pro bono and community work. So many of you give your precious and limited free time, like our esteemed winners, to use your law degree to help people who are often going through the worst and most stressful period in their lives. Lawyers often refer to themselves as sophisticated tools at the service of their clients’ matters, but you are also a vital part of a support system that keeps people and communities afloat.
Krystle, Luke, and Elleni, we celebrate you and your giving spirits, and the strength and tenacity with which you help people. Those reading this who employ their law degrees and expertise with empathy and use their voices and their pens to speak truth to power and fight for what’s right, we raise our glass to honor you as well.
It takes a village to keep community, society, and democracy alive, and you are all doing your part. Thank you for letting Smokeball be a part of your incredible work. You are a true credit to the profession. ❤