|
RIWBA announces
2008 winner of the Ada Sawyer Award
 Denise
C. Aiken
2008 Ada Sawyer Award Winner
Denise C. Aiken was born in Providence, a seventeenth-generation
Rhode Islander. She attended Providence Public Schools and
attended Seton Hall University in Greensburg, PA before
transferring to Providence College for her senior year.
She received a post-graduate certificate in Paralegal Studies
from Roger Williams University and was a litigation paralegal
at the firm Chisholm and Feldman from 1980 until 1989, specializing
in Medical Malpractice. She attended Suffolk University
Law School in the evenings while a paralegal and became
an associate at Chisholm and Feldman in 1989. In 1990, Ms.
Aiken introduced a Family Law component into the Chisholm
and Feldman services and stayed with that firm until it
dissolved in 1996.
In 1994, Ms. Aiken began what would become a ten year relationship
with Roger Williams University as an adjunct professor in
the Legal Studies program, teaching Intro to Law, Philosophy
of Law and Law in Contemporary Society. In addition, in
1996, she became the Acting Director of the Family Law Clinic
for that institution's Law School for the summer semester.
1996 was also the year that Ms. Aiken made a foray into
politics and was elected to the Rhode Island House of Representatives.
She served on the House Judiciary Committee and served the
people of Warwick for three terms.
Ms. Aiken became the first Rhode Island woman to chair
the Redistricting Commission in 2001. The representative
districts are redrawn every ten years after each national
census. At the same time, she started her research into
the life and career of Ada Sawyer, first publishing an article
in the Rhode Island Journal of Law.
From June 2002 until January 2004 Ms. Aiken worked for
the City of Warwick as the Advocate for Juveniles and Families.
She has been a staff attorney with Rhode Island Legal Services,
Inc. since 2003.
Ms. Aiken has been zealous in encouraging young girls to
prepare to practice law and for woman lawyers to make laws
by running for public office.
|
