Attorneys Marianne Gilmartin, David and Ann Hawk, and Teddy Michel will be honored at the 16th Annual Lackawanna Pro Bono Gala at 6:30 p.m. Nov. 14, in the Scranton Cultural Center Ballroom. Proceeds will support Lackawanna Pro Bono’s mission to provide free legal representation to residents who are faced with serious civil legal problems, but do not have the means to hire a lawyer.
Each year, Lackawanna Pro Bono recognizes those who have made outstanding contributions to their community. The evening’s four honorees will be presented with the Attorney Robert W. Munley Distinguished Service Award for their dedicated service to the community.
The Distinguished Service Award is named after Robert W. Munley in recognition of his service to the community and his support for pro bono representation. A founder of the law firm, Munley Law, Munley has practiced law for over 50 years. He is past president of the Lackawanna Bar Association and the Pennsylvania Trial Lawyers and served on the Board of Governors of the American Trial Lawyers Association.
A veteran of the Korean War, Attorney Munley graduated from the University of Scranton and Temple University School of Law.
Lackawanna Pro Bono was established to address the unmet need for pro bono legal services. In the 27 years that Lackawanna Pro Bono has served the citizens of Lackawanna County, it has matched approximately 450 local attorneys who have volunteered their services free of charge to roughly 11,000 low-income clients in close to 4,800 civil legal matters.
Tickets for Lackawanna Pro Bono’s 16th Anniversary Gala are $150. For information about tickets, program ads and sponsorship opportunities, visit www.lackawannaprobono.org or call 570-961-2714.
To qualify for Lackawanna Pro Bono’s services, a person’s household income must be less than 125 percent of the federal poverty guidelines. Types of cases handled include landlord/tenant, unemployment compensation, mortgage foreclosure, debtor/creditor matters, child custody and visitation, protection from abuse and others. For information about Lackawanna Pro Bono, call 570-961-2714.
Marianne Gilmartin
Marianne Gilmartin is a graduate of Marywood University and Seton Hall University Law School. She is a litigation attorney and shareholder at Stevens & Lee and was recognized as a Pennsylvania Super Lawyer from 2009 through 2020 and 2023 through 2024. She was also a Northeast Pennsylvania Business Journal’s Top 25 Women in Business Honoree for 2010.
Outside of the office, Marianne is an active leader in her community, having served on numerous nonprofit boards, including Circle 200 and Johnson College. She is a member of the Board of Directors and Past Chair of the Boy Scouts of America and the Scranton Lackawanna Industrial Building Co. Marianne is Chair-Elect and Board Member of The Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce and serves on the Board of North Pocono Library. She is a recipient of the Silver Beaver Award, a Boy Scouts of America distinction and highest honor given to volunteers for their dedication to the organization, commitment to its programs and many years of service.
Marianne has provided free legal services to individuals with low incomes through Lackawanna Pro Bono for a number of years. She and her husband, Frank, have four children and 7 grandchildren.
David and Ann Hawk
David and Ann Hawk have been married for 51 years. They met at Penn State Scranton where they earned degrees in Business (Dave) and in Human Development (Ann). Ann later received a master’s degree in counseling from Marywood University. Dave and Ann grew up in the Scranton area and raised their four children there. Dave is now semi-retired after working at Gertrude Hawk Chocolates for 50 years and owning the business for 29. Gertrude Hawk is now securely in the hands of Dave and Ann’s children, the fourth generation of the business.
Dave and Ann have a strong commitment to public service in the Scranton area. Ann and Dave have served on various boards including those for the Greater Scranton YMCA, Community Medical Center, University of Scranton, Scranton Chamber of Commerce and Penn State Scranton’s Advisory Board. Together, Dave and Ann co-chaired several capital campaigns including those for Penn State Scranton, WRC, and Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church.
Dave and Ann established the Hawk Family Foundation in 2006 and permanently endowed it in 2017. The foundation partners with nonprofit organizations that serve individuals and families in the Northeast Pennsylvania region, particularly Lackawanna County.
Teddy Michel
Teddy Michel’s life is defined by serving others. His experiences as a young Jesuit Volunteer influenced his life in many ways including his decision to go to law school. While attending law school at the University of St. Thomas he performed over 500 hours of legal and non-legal public service. Teddy began his legal career in Northeast PA as a legal aid attorney and later clerked for the Honorable James M. Munley, US District Court Judge.
In 2017, Teddy left the practice of law to pursue a ministry opportunity and helped launch the Ignatian Volunteer Corps of Northeastern Pennsylvania, a faith-based service program for retired men and women, age 50 and above. Presently, more than 30 IVC members serve at local nonprofit partner organizations including: Friends of the Poor, Catherine McAuley Center, St. Joseph’s, Hospice of the Sacred Heart, Nativity Miguel School of Scranton, Meals on Wheels, and many more.
Teddy volunteers as a member of NeighborWorks Northeastern Pennsylvania’s Board of Directors, serving as the Board Chair for the past three years and is a member of SCOPE Foundation, which supports 350 elementary students at the Santa Louisa School in San Salvador, El Salvador. He is an active volunteer of Lackawanna Pro Bono, primarily through its Elder Law Clinic.
Teddy is the 2019 recipient of the University of St. Thomas School of Law’s Alumni Living the Mission award, provided to alumni who best exemplify the UST Law’s mission of integrating faith and reason in the search for truth through a focus on morality and social justice. Teddy and his wife, Cindy, have been married for 22 years and have 2 children.