Mary Rea, Peter LaCourse, Teresa Padrón and Jessica Webster are the recipients of the 2026 Becker Awards, which recognize legal services staff, as well as a law student, for their outstanding commitment to providing legal services to low-income people.
Mary Rea is the Communications Coordinator at Legal Services State Support, where she has worked for over 25 years helping people in the civil legal aid community and those looking for legal information, advice, and representation. Behind the scenes, she keeps everything running smoothly—coordinating, organizing, and elevating the work of so many. Mary was honored with this year’s Advocate/Support Award for her tireless efforts to ensure that free legal resources reach the people who need them most.
Jessica Webster joined the Legal Services Advocacy Project (LSAP)—Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid’s legislative advocacy unit—20 years ago. Since then, she has demonstrated exceptional prowess in zealously representing MMLA’s low-income and disadvantaged clients at the Minnesota Capitol and before administrative agencies. She has developed extraordinary substantive knowledge in some of the most difficult policy areas, including public benefits, including education, income and food security, and unemployment insurance. Her advocacy efforts have led to major legislative wins for low-income Minnesotans and have expanded access to justice for thousands of people statewide. Jessica is the 2026 recipient of the Legacy of Excellence Award.
Peter LaCourse is the Housing Supervising Attorney at Justice North and the recipient of the Emerging Leader Award. Peter’s work is rooted in a deep commitment to housing stability and justice for vulnerable communities. As a housing attorney at Justice North, Peter has taken on complex and high impact cases that have made a tangible difference in the lives of low-income Minnesotans. His advocacy in the Minnesota Court of Appeals case Duluth HRA v. Young resulted in case law that strengthens the ability of courts to address the collateral consequences of eviction records that can affect housing access. Peter has established himself as a skilled advocate, a thoughtful mentor to newer attorneys and law students, and a driving force for meaningful change on behalf of low-income clients.
Teresa Padrón was awarded the Law Student Award for her work with the Twin Cities Habeas Collective. Teresa is a student at the University of Minnesota Law School. She has dedicated hundreds of hours to ensuring that unlawfully detained immigrants are provided with federal habeas corpus petitions seeking their release from detention. Teresa was described as the connective tissue of the Habeas Collective, where her work included drafting petitions, tracking rapidly shifting legal and procedural developments, translation, supporting families, and connecting attorneys with clients in need of immediate representation in federal court. As her recommender noted, Teresa “is exactly the future lawyer, and the human being, this award was created to recognize.”
More about the Becker Awards
