Eve Hill and Jacqui Cadman attended 2024 Annual Awards Reception for The Bazelon Center, championing the rights of individuals with mental disabilities. Eve, Bazelon Board Chair, presented the Visionary Award. – Technologist

Brown Goldstein & Levy partner Eve Hill, joined by partner Jacqui Cadman, attended the 2024 Annual Awards Reception for The Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law. The signature event was hosted on Tuesday, September 17 at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. BGL was proud to once again sponsor the annual ceremony.

Eve, who serves as Chair of the Bazelon Board, presented the Visionary Award to her fellow board member and award recipient, Joyce Bender. This award is reserved for individuals who not only inspire us but challenge us to reimagine what is possible. It celebrates those whose forward-thinking leadership and unwavering commitment have made an indelible impact on their field, community, and the lives of countless others. 

For more than three decades, Joyce has been a pioneer in advocating for the rights of people with disabilities. As founder and CEO of Bender Consulting Services and Bender Leadership Academy, she has made it her life’s mission to create meaningful employment opportunities for individuals with disabilities, helping us break down barriers in the workforce. As Eve said in her speech, “Joyce has not only changed lives – she has changed systems.”

Jacqui  joined Eve in honoring Joyce for her work championing efforts that ensure the dignity, equality, and empowerment for all people with disabilities, as well as the leaders across the country who work to protect and advance the rights of people with mental disabilities. The reception featured Amna Nawaz, co-anchor of the PBS News Hour as emcee. Throughout the evening, the BGL team connected with fellow changemakers in disability rights, social justice, mental health, and more. 

Since 1972, the Bazelon Center has advocated for the civil rights, full inclusion, and equality of adults and children with mental disabilities. The Center uses cutting-edge litigation to effect progressive systemic change and impact public policy, including securing early legal precedents creating basic civil rights for people with mental disabilities—including the rights to a public education, to receive services in community-based settings instead of institutions, and to make decisions about one’s own care.

Eve, one of the nation’s leading civil rights attorneys, serves as Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Bazelon Center. Each year, Eve takes a leading role in facilitating this and other Bazelon Center events and programming that champion disability rights and community advocacy. BGL is proud to continually sponsor and partner with the Bazelon Center in our shared advocacy for individuals with disabilities across the country, ensuring that their rights are achieved, and their stories are shared.

Learn more about our disability rights practice here.

MORE ABOUT EVE HILL 

Eve Hill is one of the nation’s leading civil rights lawyers, known especially for her work with clients with disabilities and LGBTQ+ clients. She has been recognized by Law360 as one of just 12 “Titans of the Plaintiffs’ Bar” for 2023, as well as by Lawdragon as one of the 500 Leading Lawyers in America (2022, 2023, and 2024). Her wide-ranging experience complements Brown, Goldstein & Levy’s decades of dedication to high-impact disability rights cases and its advocacy on behalf of individuals with disabilities and their families. Eve also leads Inclusivity, BGL’s Strategic Consulting Group, which works with organizations to promote the education, engagement, and employment of people with disabilities.

MORE ABOUT JACQUI CADMAN

Jacqui Cadman joined BGL at the beginning of the year, bringing over 19 years of experience as a seasoned trial attorney to the firm. Throughout her career, she has tried hundreds of cases, ranging from traffic and misdemeanor offenses to the most serious charges, including homicide and sexual assault. She has mastered complex issues of forensics, psychology, and conducted intricate constitutional litigation. She has extensive experience litigating complex pre-trial issues such as privilege, Brady sanctions, and double jeopardy, as well as identifying, consulting with, and preparing experts to testify. She is widely known for her expertise in conducting deep investigations and for trying and winning the most time-intensive and difficult cases. She is a regular trainer nationwide on countless topics involving criminal law and trial advocacy. Learn more about Jacqui here.

ABOUT BROWN GOLDSTEIN & LEVY

Founded in 1982, Brown Goldstein & Levy is a law firm based in Baltimore, Maryland, with an office in Washington, DC. The firm is nationally recognized in a wide variety of practice areas, including complex civil and commercial litigation, civil rights, health care, family law, and criminal defense. Above all else, Brown Goldstein & Levy is a client-centered law firm that brings decades of experience and passionate, effective advocacy to your fight for justice.