Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, May 6, 1993                   TAG: 9305060287
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: C-4   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE: RICHMOND                                LENGTH: Short

LAWYER-ADVOCATE FROM SALEM HONORED

Ellen Weinman received the 1993 Lewis F. Powell Jr. Pro Bono Award at a ceremony and reception in her honor in Richmond.

Weinman, who has her own practice and is a substitute judge in the Roanoke Valley, was unanimously selected for the award.

For years, she has offered pro bono services - legal work for no charge or at reduced rates - to more than 150 victims of domestic abuse.

She has led training programs on family law and domestic violence, and was instrumental in establishing a process in the Roanoke Valley that allows abused women to file criminal charges against their assailants without the embarrassment of waiting in a jail lobby.

Weinman also is a founder of TRUST, and regularly volunteers her time taking calls on the trouble center's hot line and working with clients.

Wednesday's ceremony was attended by Gov. Douglas Wilder, Virginia Supreme Court Chief Justice Harry Carrico and Attorney General Stephen Rosenthal.

The award is part of a two-day pro bono conference, sponsored by the Virginia State Bar's Committee on Access to Legal Services, that focused on affordable housing and providing legal help to the poor.