Lorraine McEvilley, Director of the Parole Revocation Defense Unit (PRDU) at The Legal Aid Society, has received the Jonathan E. Gradess Service of Justice Award, which is presented to individuals and organizations that have uniquely supported the New York State Defenders Association (NYSDA) and the defender community.

Through her work at PRDU Lorraine has been a tireless advocate for the rights of people who are subject to parole supervision and those who have been re-incarcerated for alleged parole violations. She shared her expertise in parole representation with NYSDA and the public defense community through training presentations, practice resources, and consultations. And, since the enactment of Less is More, she has demonstrated a commitment to comprehensive implementation of the law and its intent and spirit.

In addition to her responsibilities at Legal Aid, Lorraine currently serves as a member on the NYS Bar Association Task Force on Parole Reform. A graduate of SUNY Buffalo and SUNY Buffalo School of Law, Lorraine first joined the Society as a staff attorney in the Queens criminal defense office in 1989, and in 1996 worked as a public defender in Arizona before returning to the Society in 1999 as a staff attorney in our Manhattan criminal defense trial office. She subsequently transferred to the Parole Revocation Defense Unit in 2005. In 2008, she became a supervising attorney in PRDU and has been a critical member of the team which further raised the level of parole revocation advocacy.