Anne McDonald receives Johnson County Bar Association’s 2018 Justinian Award for Professional Excellence

TOPEKA — Anne McDonald, executive director of the Kansas Lawyers Assistance Program, received the Johnson County Bar Association’s Justinian Award at its annual conference March 7.

The Justinian Award is the premier award for members of the Johnson County Bar Association and is presented annually to attorneys who have exemplified integrity; service to the community; service to the legal profession; and warmth, friendliness, and camaraderie.

Chief Judge Karen Arnold-Burger of the Kansas Court of Appeals presented the bar award to McDonald. She told conference attendees that McDonald had demonstrated those qualities in particular through her work with KALAP, which the Kansas Supreme Court created in 2001 to help lawyers seek treatment for physical or mental illness, substance abuse, or emotional distress.

McDonald was appointed to KALAP's first board, then became its executive director in 2009.

McDonald, who lives in Kansas City, Kansas, is a 1982 graduate of the University of Kansas School of Law. She practiced law for three years before being appointed a court trustee for the 29th Judicial District, which is composed of Wyandotte County. She retired from that post in 2006.

She also has served as a judge pro tem in the 29th Judicial District and has presented continuing legal education courses on child support and lawyer assistance projects statewide.