Chicago — Attorney General Lisa Madigan received the prestigious Kelley-Wyman award Thursday from attorneys general across the country. The Kelley-Wyman Award is presented by the National Association of Attorneys General ( NAAG ) to an attorney general who has done the most to achieve NAAG's objectives, which include leading litigation on behalf of the state, reforming the law when needed and taking a lead role in legal and public advocacy initiatives on a host of issues to benefit the state.
"I am truly honored to receive this recognition from my colleagues across the country," Madigan said. "My office has taken a national leadership role on countless issues and I have always been committed to providing the expertise of my lawyers and staff to reach successful outcomes on behalf of the people. I am proud of my work that has recovered billions of dollars for states and consumers in Illinois and across the country."
Connecticut Attorney General George Jepsen presented the award to Madigan Thursday during a NAAG meeting in Portland, Ore., noting her role as a determined advocate on a range of issues, including mortgage lending and servicing, strengthening the protections and rights of sexual assault victims and addressing privacy and data breaches. Jepsen also highlighted that one of Madigan's lawsuits resulted in a multi-billion dollar settlement that established one of the first mandatory programs designed to modify mortgages and keep borrowers in their homes.
"Attorney General Madigan is a fierce advocate for the state of Illinois and her constituents," Attorney General Jepsen said. "I've been proud to partner with her on any number of important issues — from investigating data privacy matters to litigating financial services cases — during our time as colleagues. She is more than deserving of NAAG's highest award, and it was my honor to present it to her at our meeting in Portland this week."
Madigan has served several times on NAAG's Executive Committee as Midwestern Region chair and most recently focused NAAG resources on discussing sexual assault on college campuses. Over the years, she has worked with fellow attorneys general on NAAG committees addressing consumer financial protection, pharmaceutical pricing, intellectual property and social networking.
As NAAG's most prestigious award, the Kelley-Wyman Award is named in recognition of the outstanding service and national contributions of Frank Kelley, who served as attorney general of Michigan from January 1962 to January 1999.
In addition to Madigan's award, NAAG recognized Madigan's office with its "Best Brief Award" for the brief filed with the U.S. Supreme Court in Janus v. AFSCME, which is currently pending before the Court. Recognized for the Best Brief Award from Madigan's office were Solicitor General David Franklin, Deputy Solicitor General Brett Legner, and Assistant Attorneys General Frank Bieszczat, Jane Flanagan, Sarah Hunger, Richard Huszagh, Lindsay Beyer Payne and Andrew Tonelli. The brief was selected for the award by a panel of independent U.S. Supreme Court experts, each of whom is a leading member of the Supreme Court bar.
