JOANNE DALEY, Edward J. Duggan Award For Outstanding Service – Public Defender.  The Edward J. Duggan Award for Outstanding Service, Public Defender is given to a Public Defender and is named for Edward J. Duggan, who served continuously from 1940 to 1997 as a member of the Voluntary Defenders Committee, the Massachusetts Defenders Committee, and the Committee for Public Counsel Services.  The award has been presented each year since 1988 to the public defender who best represents zealous advocacy — the central principle governing the representation of indigents in Massachusetts.

This year, we are happy to give the Duggan Award to Joanne Daley.  Joanne has been the Attorney-in-Charge of the Lowell Superior Court office since the beginning of 2009.  Before becoming the Attorney-in-Charge, Joanne was a staff attorney with the Public Defender Division for four years and a public defender with the Legal Aid Society in New York City for five years.  Joanne was the President of the Greater Lowell Bar Association in 2008 and has been a member of the Supreme Judicial Court Advisory Committee on the Rules of Criminal Procedure since 2010.  Joanne also served as the Interim Deputy Chief Counsel of the Public Defender Division in 2012.

Joanne received many nominations for this Award, including letters from the lawyers in her office, the Attorney-in-Charge of the Lowell District Court office, the Attorneys-in-Charge of the Lowell YAD and CAFL offices, and others. What comes through all these nominations is Joanne’s extraordinary energy, her matchless trial skills, and her generosity towards her clients and colleagues.

One of Joanne’s nominator’s wrote:  “Joanne has tried case after case to not guilty verdicts … [n]o case is too difficult or less important.” Another wrote: “[h]er dedication to her clients, her willingness to work unimaginably long hours, her focus and stamina are unmatched.”  And another wrote: “[s]he is, quite simply, a genius, and if you think that is hyperbole, please feel free to ask anyone who has seen her on trial, or any one of her unlucky adversaries.”

The AICs of the Lowell YAD and CAFL offices wrote of Joanne’s collegiality and willingness to consult on juvenile and CAFL cases even though she carries a heavy caseload.  One of these nominators wrote: “[e]ven though she is constantly running, she always makes you feel as if she has time for you, your client and your case.”

Joanne Daley is a leader who sets the gold standard for all public defenders to follow.