MCASA Executive Director Receives 2012 Ben Cardin Award

MCASA's Board of Directors congratulates Lisae C. Jordan, the founding director of our Sexual Assault Legal Institute (SALI), on receiving the 2012 Ben Cardin Award.  The Maryland Legal Services Corporation presents the Cardin Award annually to an outstanding public interest attorney regularly involved in providing, promoting or managing civil legal services to the poor.  It is the highest honor given to a legal services attorney in Maryland. Lisae C. Jordan is Executive Director and Counsel at the Maryland Coalition Against Sexual Assault, where she founded of the Sexual Assault Legal Institute (SALI).  Since 2003, SALI has provided legal services to survivors of sexual assault, and legal training and technical assistance for professionals working with survivors. She also represents the Maryland Coalition Against Sexual Assault and the Maryland Children’s Alliance before the General Assembly in Annapolis.  Ms. Jordan has helped create and pass many statutes to help prevent violence against women and children and bring abusers to justice.  These include legislation expanding Maryland’s rape shield statute, eliminating the marital rape exemption, and making domestic violence grounds for an absolute divorce.  She served on the ABA Family Law Section Council and the ABA Commission on Domestic Violence and is a designee to the Maryland Family Violence Council and the Sex Offender Advisory Board.  She has been a leader in national efforts to bring legal services to sexual assault and child sexual abuse survivors.  Ms. Jordan graduated from Harvard Law School and was a clerk for the Honorable Andre M. Davis.