The Kathryn McDonald Award

I'm pleased to report that the venerable New York City Bar Association has decided to honor the late Alfred Siegel with the 2014 Kathryn McDonald Award for his contributions to New York City Family Court.   While it is a source of great sadness that Alfred won't be there to accept the award from New York State Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman when it is presented on May 29th, I am pleased that the City Bar has chosen to recognize one of New York's unsung heroes.

As I said recently at the international summit on community justice that we helped put together in San Francisco, Alfred's public presentation didn't exactly scream out "innovator."  He didn't dress like an Internet entrepreneur. And he wasn't cursed with the smartest-guy-in-the-room syndrome.  He didn't feel the need to beat you over the head with his intelligence.  But appearances can be deceiving.  Because beneath his conventional exterior, Alfred was a relentless reformer, driven to tinker and tweak and make things better.  He's richly deserving of the Kathryn McDonald Award.