Widener Law is pleased to announce its dean, Linda L. Ammons, will be honored with the 2011 Christopher W. White Distinguished Access to Justice Service to Children Award. The award is given by the Delaware State Bar Association.Ammons is being recognized for her service to Delaware’s children, through her work completing an independent review into the matter of Delaware pediatrician Dr. Earl Bradley, who was convicted of sexually abusing hundreds of his young patients. Ammons conducted the review at the request of Gov. Jack Markell in the spring of 2010. The dean devoted countless hours to the project, which took her all over Delaware and even across the country. She conducted nearly 70 interviews in an exhaustive examination of facts and circumstances. The result was a 47-page report, publicly praised for its thoroughness, containing a series of recommendations for how Delaware could avoid similar tragedies in the future. The General Assembly unanimously passed a package of nine bills that encapsulated many of those recommendations. The Delaware State Bar Association will formally present the award at a breakfast ceremony in the du Barry Room of the Hotel du Pont on Tuesday, Oct. 25. The breakfast takes place during National Pro Bono Week and it will include a proclamation presented by state Rep. Melanie L. George. Service awards will also be given to Richards, Layton &amp; Finger, P.A. for leadership, Kimberly E. Connolly Lawson, Esq. for achievement and William H. Sudell Jr., Esq. for commitment. Connolly Lawson is a 2000 cum laude graduate of Widener’s Delaware campus. She is a senior associate at Reed Smith in Wilmington, Del. where she serves as a member of the Financial Industry Group, practicing in the area of commercial restructuring and bankruptcy.The service awards are given in the name of Christopher W. White, a long-time attorney with the Community Legal Aid Society of Delaware, who died in April 2010 at the age of 48. White was widely know and respected for his advocacy work on behalf of the poor, homeless, disabled, elderly, troubled and down-trodden people of Delaware.“When I took on the Bradley assignment, I hoped it would set an example for our law students on how important it is to give back to the communities where you live, work or study. Public service is a hallmark of a Widener education and I was pleased to demonstrate that commitment at such a high level,” Ammons said. “The task had built-in rewards – knowing it was about making Delaware safer for children – but to be recognized with an award given in Christopher White’s memory is truly gratifying.”