National Center for Medical-Legal Partnership Honored with Equal Justice Award from National Legal Aid and Defender Association
The National Center for Medical-Legal Partnership (NCMLP) was honored today by the National Legal Aid and Defender Association (NLADA) with the 2026 Nan Heald Innovations in Equal Justice Award. The award recognizes creativity and perseverance in advancing equal justice.
Anne Sweeney, Chief of Civil Legal Services at NLADA (l) presenting the 2026 Nan Heald Innovations in Equal Justice Award to Bethany Hamilton, Director of NCMLP (r). Photo credit: Kevin Douglas, CapturedbyKevin
The award was presented during the Equal Justice Conference, an annual convening of the civil legal aid community hosted by NLADA and the American Bar Association. While presenting the award, Anne Sweeney, Chief of Civil Legal Services at NLADA, called out NCMLP’s work to bridge the legal aid and healthcare sectors and cultivate more than 500 medical-legal partnerships across the country.
“This award honors the quiet, persistent problem-solvers who dismantle barriers to justice,” said Sweeney. “It celebrates those who, like Nan Heald, value the long journey of reform and prioritize the lived experiences of their clients above all else. This year’s recipient doesn't just reflect these values—they catalyzed a new movement.”
While accepting the award, NCMLP’s Director Bethany Hamilton noted that it was especially meaningful to receive this recognition during NCMLP’s 20th anniversary year. She highlighted that medical-legal partnership has always been about people making sure families can stay housed, patients can access benefits, children can live in healthy homes, and communities can receive the support they need to thrive. She noted that medical-legal partnership is rooted in the belief that legal care is health care.
“We are deeply grateful to the National Legal Aid and Defender Association and the selection committee,” said Hamilton. “We share this recognition with the hundreds of medical-legal partnerships and countless advocates, health care teams, legal aid leaders, researchers, and community partners who have helped build and sustain this movement over the last two decades and who show up and do this work every day.”