Emma Sisti, deputy director of 603 Legal Aid, delivers the Bruce E. Friedman Pro Bono Award to Lyndsay N. Robinson.
In her six years of pro bono service, Lyndsay N. Robinson has taken on 38 cases and donated over 667 hours of her time, helping victims of domestic violence to obtain protective orders, representing people seeking divorces or parenting orders, and delving into new areas of law to help indigent individuals.
“Any time we need anything done, Lyndsay is there. Even if I don’t need her to volunteer, she volunteers,” said Emma Sisti, deputy director of 603 Legal Aid during the 2023 Bruce E. Friedman Pro Bono Award ceremony honoring Robinson, an attorney with Shaheen & Gordon P.A. and 2017 graduate of the UNH Franklin Pierce School of Law.
“This is an honor above all honors. And to do it six years into your practice is just amazing,” said The Hon. Chuck S. Temple during introductory remarks.
The Bruce E. Friedman Pro Bono Award honors a University of New Hampshire Franklin Pierce School of Law graduate and member of the New Hampshire bar who exemplifies Bruce Friedman’s commitment to representing the indigent through exemplary pro bono service. Professor Friedman was the founder of the law school's civil practice clinic.
“She is just an outstanding example of the kind of attorney Bruce Friedman would have trained and the kind of attorney (about whom) he would say, ‘Aren’t we glad we have her in our community,” Sisti said. “She is the impetus, the catalyst. She is the reason why so much is getting done.”
Lyndsay N. Robinson holding the Bruce E. Friedman Pro Bono Award crystal cube.
In accepting the award, Robinson recalled her early days as a law student, including what she described as a lackluster grade on her first exam. “I share that because I’m living proof that law school is challenging but you can get through it.” Robinson went on to be selected as a Daniel Webster Scholar and serve as a Warren B. Rudman Summer Fellow and an American Bar Association Janet B. Steiger Fellow.
Among her more recent accomplishments: the New Hampshire Bar Association’s Rising Star Award in 2020, “Best Lawyer” in Greater Nashua by the Nashua Telegraph in 2020, and the New Hampshire Bar Association’s Kirby Award in 2023.
“My teachers here went above and beyond,” Robinson said during the ceremony, encouraging students to challenge themselves, exploring new areas of law. “There’s no better way to do that than helping others,” she said. Robinson teaches Legal Writing & Analysis to first year law students at the University of New Hampshire Franklin Pierce School of Law.
At Shaheen & Gordon, Robinson’s practice consists of general civil litigation with a focus on family law, estate planning, probate administration, and immigration. Her pro bono work includes the DOVE project, a 603 Legal Aid bro bono program that supports victims of domestic violence and/or stalking.
“One in four women will be a victim of domestic violence at some point in their lives. That is a very scary statistic,” she said. Many of the victims she has represented have stayed in touch over the years, she said. “It means the world to me that I get to help them rebuild their lives and move forward.”
Robinson said her pro bono clients have been among her best. “I am so glad that I’ve been able to help them, but they have helped me in more ways than I could have ever imagined. They have humbled me. They have kept me grounded. They have challenged me, and they have helped me become a better advocate.”
The Bruce E. Friedman Pro Bono Award is sponsored by The Warren B. Rudman Center for Justice, Leadership & Public Service and 603 Legal Aid.
