Key keywords: Mid-Hudson attorney, New York State Bar Association recognition, statewide legal excellence award, Hudson Valley pro bono services, domestic violence survivor legal support, upstate New York legal community, 2024 NYSBA public service award, Mid-Hudson free legal clinic. Clara Bennett, a family law attorney based in Poughkeepsie, New York, with 12 years of experience serving the Mid-Hudson region, has been named a recipient of the 2024 New York State Bar Association (NYSBA) Excellence in Public Service Award, one of the highest statewide honors for legal professionals in New York. The award, which selects only 5 practicing attorneys across the state each year, recognizes Bennett’s long-standing commitment to expanding access to legal services for low-income and marginalized communities in the Hudson Valley, where access to affordable legal support is 38% lower than in New York City, per 2023 NYSBA data. Over the past three years, Bennett has taken on 172 pro bono cases, ranging from child custody disputes for low-income parents to eviction defense for at-risk households, securing favorable outcomes for 92% of her pro bono clients. In 2020, she launched the Mid-Hudson Free Legal Clinic for Domestic Violence Survivors, a volunteer-run facility that now serves more than 320 clients annually across Dutchess, Ulster, and Orange counties, providing free legal representation, protection order filing support, and connections to housing and mental health resources. Bennett also leads the Hudson Valley Youth Legal Education Initiative, a program that partners with 14 local high schools to teach students about tenant rights, juvenile justice processes, and how to access legal support when needed, reaching more than 1,200 students since its launch in 2021. NYSBA President Richard H. Miller praised Bennett’s work in a public announcement earlier this week, noting that “Clara’s work has filled a critical gap in the Mid-Hudson legal ecosystem. Too many rural and low-income communities across upstate New York lack access to the legal support they need to navigate basic life challenges, and Clara has dedicated her career to changing that reality for thousands of people.” Bennett, in a statement responding to the recognition, noted that the award belongs to the entire team of volunteer attorneys, social workers, and community organizers who support the clinic’s work. “This honor isn’t mine alone,” she said. “It’s a recognition that local, community-centered legal work matters, and that we can make a real difference when we show up for the people in our region who are most often left out of the legal system.” Bennett will formally receive the award at the NYSBA’s annual awards gala in Albany on October 17, where she will also speak about her plans to expand the free clinic’s services to cover rural parts of Sullivan County by 2025, and launch a new pro bono program for small business owners in the Mid-Hudson region who were impacted by the 2024 summer flooding.