By Marck Beck, Legal Aid Services of Oregon

Published in the Multnomah Lawyer, May 2026 Issue

Mikaela Marino is the recipient of the 2026 Michael E. Haglund Young Lawyer Award. This award recognizes a lawyer who either is within their first six years of practice, or who is 36 years old or younger, and who displays a particular dedication to pro bono services. It is named for the first president of the MBA Young Lawyers Section, which founded the MBA Volunteer Lawyers Project in the 1980s.

Ms. Marino is a business, employment, and civil litigation associate at Sussman Shank LLP who did not waste any time getting involved in giving back, using her law license to serve vulnerable and low-income members of our community. In March 2025, less than a year out of law school, she began volunteering with two of Legal Aid Services of Oregon’s pro bono programs – the Expungement Clinic and the Domestic Violence Project (DVP). As a volunteer at an in-person expungement clinic, Marino prepared motions to set aside and seal criminal convictions on behalf of clients who qualified for this relief. Criminal records create barriers to employment, education, housing, and consumer credit opportunities, and expungement is an important and powerful tool for removing those barriers. Through the DVP, Ms. Marino represents survivors of domestic violence at contested restraining order hearings.

Mikaela’s willingness to volunteer for these critical cases, which operate on very short timelines, is deeply appreciated by LASO, but more importantly by the clients whom she represents. Rebecca Morgan, coordinator of the DVP, remarked: “Mikaela is thoughtful about protecting her pro bono clients from experiencing further trauma while interacting with the court system. She demonstrated incredible care and zealousness in shielding a client from an overly litigious abuser who tried to misuse court processes to make life more difficult for her client. Mikaela’s advocacy not only protected her client’s safety, but the reputation of our legal system.”

Over the course of just one year, Mikaela contributed an incredible 133 hours to pro bono service, and that only captures the time she spent volunteering with LASO. She has also volunteered with SOAR Immigration Legal Services where she assisted with refugee adjustment forms, and the CLEAR Clinic. In addition, Mikaela serves on the Pro Bono Committee of the Multnomah Bar Association’s Young Lawyers Section and is a member of the Associates Committee of the Campaign for Equal Justice, where she helps to raise money to support legal aid programming across the state. She also is an active member of Oregon Women Lawyers (OWLS), as well as of OGALLA, Oregon’s LGBTQIA+ Bar Association. Furthermore, Mikaela supports services for survivors of domestic and sexual violence as a board member, board secretary, and governance committee member for the Sexual Assault Resource Center (SARC), an organization in Beaverton that provides crisis intervention and other ongoing services to people impacted by sexual violence.

Mikaela grew up near Chicago, Illinois and graduated summa cum laude with a BS from Loyola University Chicago with a degree in anthropology. As part of her studies, she had the opportunity to spend a year and a half living and studying in Rome, which had particular resonance for her as a person of Italian heritage. During her time in Italy, Mikaela worked at a shelter for survivors of human trafficking, an experience that left a significant impression and informed the volunteer work she has done since.

Marino attended Lewis & Clark Law School, graduating magna cum laude in 2024. As a law student, Mikaela clerked with LASO, where she became familiar with the challenges facing many low-income Oregonians – a high number of legal issues per household and the very limited supply of free and low-cost legal services available to them.

Shelby Woehlk, a legal aid attorney who worked closely with Mikaela during her clerkship at LASO observed that, “as both a law clerk and volunteer for the Domestic Violence Project, Mikaela has demonstrated exceptional trauma-informed practices that allow her to build trust and rapport with clients…connect[ing with them] in a compassionate, accepting, and professional way while preparing the best possible case is something all advocates should aspire to emulate.”

When asked what motivates her to dedicate time to volunteering, Mikaela stated that she believes all of us, “have a collective responsibility to serve the communities in which we live and practice.” She notes that the legal system can be “intimidating and inaccessible” for many people and that she became a lawyer to help change that. “Pro bono work keeps me connected to that original purpose, and reminds me why I went to law school.” Mikaela says that she did not begin volunteering for any one purpose and adds that pro bono work has enabled her to continue the type of work to which she was always drawn. “I didn’t anticipate how much it would shift my perspective, not just on the work, but on what it means to be an attorney. It has a way of reconnecting you to parts of this profession that drew you to it in the first place.”

Andrea Meyer, a partner and Litigation Group Chair at Sussman Shank, and Ms. Marino’s supervisor, explained that the firm is committed to supporting local communities through pro bono work and charitable contributions. “At both the associate and partner level, we encourage attorneys to find pro bono opportunities that align with their practice areas and passions, […and] as a firm, we are proud to support attorneys like Mikaela and learn from the example that she sets.” Ms. Meyer went on to say that the firm recognizes that especially newer attorneys, “pro bono work can provide a meaningful opportunity for skill development…[giving them] the opportunity to handle matters from start to finish, from working directly with a client, to appearing before a judge, and developing advocacy skills in a way that may not otherwise be available early in an attorney’s career.” Despite their firm’s support for and encouragement of giving back, Ms. Meyer describes Mikaela as, “an exceptional advocate…[whose] isn’t contingent on recognition or firm support,” and that Ms. Marino’s “intrinsic motivation really speaks to her character.”

Mikaela hopes that she can encourage other attorneys who are interested in doing pro bono work, offering that regardless of the time you can dedicate, “it matters more than you think.” Mikaela says that in her experience, when you provide legal assistance to someone who is overwhelmed, scared, and uncertain, they no longer feel that they are alone as they navigate some of the most challenging situations in their life.

“If you’re on the fence, I’d say just start, and don’t worry about having all the answers before you do. There are programs, such as those at Legal Aid Services of Oregon, that will meet you where you are with training and mentorship, so you don’t need to worry about figuring it out on your own.”