The nonprofit organization Santa Barbara Women Lawyers (SBWL) will honor District Attorney Joyce Dudley with the Deborah M. Talmage Attorney of the Year Award for her service to women and her strong sense of justice.
At the nonprofit’s annual dinner on December 15, Commissioner Deborah Talmage — who cofounded SBWL back in 1988 with Senator Hannah-Beth Jackson — will present the eponymous award to Dudley for her 25-year-long career at the DA’s Office prosecuting “crimes committed against women and children,” the nonprofit said.
According to SBWL, the award recognizes Dudley’s philosophy that the “first encounter with the DA’s office should be the beginning of [people’s] healing process. For that to occur, prosecutions must be an ethical search for the truth, ensuring justice for all.”
Following a speech by Justin Connolly, Director of Human Rights Watch in Los Angeles, Senator Jackson will swear in the nonprofit’s board of directors for the coming year.