2025 Margaret Brent Award recipients inspire 'next generation of women lawyers'
Five female lawyers who have excelled in their field and paved the way for other women to succeed will receive the Margaret Brent Women Lawyers of Achievement Award during the ABA Annual Meeting in Toronto.
The ABA Commission on Women in the Profession established the annual award in 1991. It is named for Margaret Brent, who arrived in the colonies in 1638 and is considered the first female lawyer in America. She was involved in 124 court cases in more than eight years. She reportedly won every case.
“We applaud the achievements of this amazing group of women, who have and will continue to inspire all of us in the legal profession, including the next generation of women lawyers,” Karol Corbin Walker, chair of the Commission on Women in the Profession, said in a news release announcing this year’s award recipients.
Meet the honorees
Maryka Omatsu
Maryka OmatsuToronto
Omatsu was the first East Asian woman to be appointed a judge in Canada. Prior to her appointment to the Ontario Court of Justice in 1993, she practiced human rights, environmental, Indigenous and criminal law; worked for the government; and taught law in Toronto, China and Japan. She also chaired the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario.
Omatsu, who is now retired, was a member of the National Association of Japanese Canadians negotiating team that in 1988 reached a landmark settlement for the 22,000 Japanese Canadians who were incarcerated during World War II. She served as co-chair of the association’s British Columbia Redress Steering Committee. She is a co-founder of the Federation of Asian Canadian Lawyers. She graduated from the University of Toronto and Osgoode Hall Law School.
On what this award means: “I am honored to be one of the recipients of the 2025 Margaret Brent Award. This recognition is meaningful to me—not only as a professional achievement but as a celebration of the values that I have spent my career advocating for: equity for women and racial minorities and justice for Japanese Canadians for their wartime incarceration and dispossession. The legacy of Margaret Brent, as a trailblazer for women, resonates with my own journey and the challenges that I have faced as a lawyer and as Canada’s first Asian Canadian woman judge. To be included among the extraordinary women who have received this award is inspiring and humbling.
“I share this honor with the mentors, colleagues and marginalized communities who have supported and shaped me. I appreciate the nomination from the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association and the endorsement from the Federation of Asian Canadian Lawyers. I am grateful to stand here and join with you in the struggle for peace and justice.”
Holly J. Fujie
Holly J. FujieLos Angeles
Fujie was appointed to the Los Angeles County Superior Court in 2011. She previously was a shareholder at Buchalter in Los Angeles. She became the first Asian American to serve as president of the State Bar of California in 2008. She is a member of the ABA Commission on Governance and vice president of the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association Judicial Council. She is co-chair of the Multicultural Bar Alliance of Southern California.
Fujie is past president of the California Asian Pacific American Judges Association. She serves on California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s Judicial Selection Advisory Committee for Los Angeles County and the California senators’ Judicial Advisory Committee for the federal courts. She graduated from the University of California, Berkeley and University of California, Berkeley School of Law.
On what this award means: “Receiving the Margaret Brent Award is especially meaningful to me because it recognizes not just women who have themselves achieved professional excellence but specifically those who have paved the way for other women in the legal profession. My lifelong goal has been to make this profession more welcoming to other women, especially women of color—to help them become successful and feel accepted. Because of the crucial role of the law in our country, the effective inclusion of women in the profession is essential for the growth and health of our society.
“Having even a small part in making this profession more representative has been incredibly satisfying to me personally, and I’m so grateful to my nominators, the ABA and the Commission on Women in the Profession for this award, which helps encourage all members of the legal profession to contribute to this goal.”
Jami Wintz McKeon
Jami Wintz McKeonPhiladelphia
McKeon became the chair of Morgan, Lewis & Bockius in 2014. She is the first woman to lead the global law firm, where she manages more than 4,000 employees in more than 30 offices in 10 countries. She oversaw the firm’s combination with Bingham McCutchen and the opening of offices in such cities as Shanghai, Abu Dhabi and Munich. With Morgan Lewis since 1981, McKeon also served on the firm’s advisory board and as head of its litigation practice.
McKeon has launched several initiatives at the firm, including ML Women and ML Well. She also is active in community service and sits on the boards of several arts, education and commerce organizations. She graduated from Pennsylvania State University and Villanova University School of Law.
On what this award means: “I believe so passionately in supporting women lawyers—and have benefited so much from those who have helped me both publicly and privately—that this award has always been something I’ve admired. Receiving an award that celebrates women who help others is a great honor, and joining the ranks of the amazing group of women who have received this particular award is one of the cherished highlights of my almost 44 years as a lawyer.
“I’m grateful to the ABA for creating such an important recognition, and for having the clarity to name it after Margaret, whose fortitude awes me and whose advocacy should be emulated at this time especially. I’m thrilled to be recognized for my part in upholding those values Margaret set in motion over three centuries ago.”
Bridget Marsh
Bridget MarshNew York City
Marsh is the executive vice president and general counsel of the Loan Syndications and Trading Association, or LSTA. Prior to joining the U.S. financial services trade organization, she practiced as a corporate finance attorney at Milbank in New York City. She also was a lawyer in the corporate/M&A department of Simmons & Simmons in London.
Marsh is chair of the ABA Business Law Section’s Commercial Finance Committee. She is a co-chair of the National Association of Women Lawyers Financial Services Affinity Group. She is a member of the American Arbitration Association-International Centre for Dispute Resolution’s Financial Advisory Committee. She graduated from Georgetown University and the Sydney Law School at the University of Sydney.
On what this award means: “I’m incredibly honored—and humbled—to be a recipient of the Margaret Brent Award this year. After nearly 30 years of practicing law, it’s truly meaningful to be recognized in this way. Over the course of my career, I’ve had the chance to work in some incredible places—Sydney, London, Abu Dhabi and New York—and through it all, one thing has remained constant: my commitment to supporting other women in law. Whether through formal mentoring or simply sharing my own experiences over coffee, I’ve tried to be a resource, a sounding board and, hopefully, a source of encouragement. Law is demanding, and some areas like corporate finance are still male dominated. But what I always tell younger women is: Just keep going. It’s not about having all the answers; it’s about showing up, doing the work and making space for others to do the same. If, in some small way, my journey has helped others stick with it, then I consider that the greatest achievement of all.”
Anita Earls
Anita EarlsDurham, North Carolina
Earls is an associate justice of the Supreme Court of North Carolina. Before her election in 2018, she was the founder and executive director of the Southern Coalition for Social Justice. She also served as the director of advocacy at the University of North Carolina Center for Civil Rights and as a deputy assistant attorney general in the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division.
Earls is a member of the ABA Standing Committee on Legal Aid and Indigent Defense. She was a member of the North Carolina State Board of Elections and North Carolina Equal Access to Justice Commission. She co-chaired North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper’s Task Force for Racial Equity in Criminal Justice. She graduated from Williams College and Yale Law School.
On what this award means: “It is particularly meaningful to be recognized by one’s professional peers, and it is especially significant to be recognized at the national level. The Margaret Brent Award combines both of these qualities, and therefore it should not be surprising that receiving this award is a tremendously huge honor for me. I am humbled to join the amazing community of women who have been recognized in the past, several of whom were mentors to me. More than anything else, this award is a reminder that in the quest to achieve equal justice under law, our role is to carry the torch as well as we can for as far as we can and then pass it on to those who can carry it further. My goal has always been to play some small part in that quest.”
The Margaret Brent award ceremony reception begins at 3 p.m. Eastern Time Aug. 10 at the Fairmont Royal York in Toronto. To register or for more information, visit the Commission on Women in the Profession’s website.
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