The Erie County Bar Association presented its Pro Bono Award to Jennifer B. Hirneisen, a lawyer with MacDonald, Illig, Jones & Britton, in Erie.

Attorney Himeisen provided 110 hours of free legal service to low-income clients in Erie County in 2007. She devoted the majority of her hours to a foreclosure action in which she negotiated a settlement that permitted her client to remain in a home at a reduced interest rate.

The ECBA also presented its Chancellor of the Bar Award, which honors the ethics and integrity of attorneys who have been in good standing in the bar association for more than 30 years, to James D. MacDonald Jr., of the MacDonald Group.

The Bar Association's Liberty Bell Award was presented to Patricia Mickel, a resident of Erie County public housing who co-founded the Erie Tenant Council and established the John E. Horan Garden Apartments food pantry. She also serves on the Northwestern Legal Services peer review team and as the Erie County Housing Authority's Section 8 self-sufficiency coordinator.

The Awards were presented by the ECBA at its annual Law Day luncheon on May 1, 2008.