The New York State Bar Association last week honored Kathleen DeCataldo, second from left, and James LeCain, far right, with the Howard Levine Award for Excellence in Juvenile Justice and Child Welfare. The award, which is presented by the bar’s committee on children and the law, recognizes lawyers and non-lawyers who have done outstanding work to improve New York’s child welfare and juvenile justice systems.
DeCataldo is an attorney who serves as the executive director of the New York State Permanent Judicial Commission on Justice for Children, while LeCain is the founder and director of the Brookwood Secure Center’s college program. Joining the winners are former Court of Appeals Judge Howard Levine, a senior counsel at Whiteman Osterman & Hanna for whom the award is named, and Betsy Ruslander, chair of the bar’s committee on children and the law.
