Lynn Futch Award goes to Mallory M. Cooney, Miami lawyer inspired by her mother's legacy
Outgoing YLD President Anisha Patel, Mallory Cooney, recipient of the Lynn Futch Most Productive Young Lawyer Award, and YLD Awards Committee Co-Chair Reno Pierre.
Mallory M. Cooney of Miami received The Florida Bar Young Lawyers Division’s Lynn Futch Most Productive Young Lawyer Award this year, an honor named after her late mother.
Cooney attributes her decision to pursue a legal career and her passionate commitment to bar and community service to her mother, Lynn Futch, who passed away unexpectedly at the age of 39 in 2000.
Lynn Futch
Futch, a former president of the Broward County Bar (1998-1999) and member of the YLD Board of Governors, notably served as general counsel for the Broward County Sheriff's Office. Throughout her career, she actively participated in various professional and civic organizations.
“She was incredibly busy, but always made time for her friends, her family, and the community,” Cooney remarked upon accepting the award at the Annual Florida Bar Convention in Orlando on June 20. “She made sure to write personal, hand-written letters to every new employee who worked at the sheriff’s office, knowing how special it would make them feel.”
Cooney fondly recalled how her mother, often working late hours, would record herself reading Cooney’s favorite stories for her to listen to.
Cooney is a senior associate at the K&L Gates in Miami and the president-elect of the Miami-Dade Chapter of the Florida Association for Women Lawyers.
Outgoing YLD President Anisha Patel said within her firm, Cooney is described by colleagues as “an exceptional lawyer, with the highest integrity, a dedicated mentor, and someone who gives back to and is very involved in supporting her community.”
“She is highly engaged in the firm’s pro bono efforts, including representing survivors of human trafficking seeking to expunge criminal records,” said Patel, adding that within Miami-Dade FAWL, Cooney is an “invaluable board member, chairing committees and sometimes leading them even when she is not the chair, despite her incredibly busy workload.”
The Lynn Futch Most Productive Young Lawyer Award is given to a young lawyer who is not a member of the YLD Board of Governors, who has worked most diligently in the past year in Bar activities and/or law-related public activities, and who has an excellent reputation for legal abilities and integrity.
