Brown Goldstein & Levy lawyers Eve Hill, Erin O’Neill, Alisha Jarwala, and Samantha Westrum attended the 2025 Annual Awards Reception for The Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law. Hosted on Wednesday, September 17 in Washington D.C., the reception is Bazelon’s signature annual event that honors champions of disability rights across the country. BGL was proud to continue its tradition of sponsoring the reception, especially during the 35th anniversary year of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
This year’s Awards Reception honored two individuals with Congressional Champion Awards: U.S. Senator Lisa Blunt Rochester (Delaware) and U.S. Congressman Steny Hoyer (Maryland). Senator Blunt Rochester is a passionate advocate for individuals with disabilities and recently led 22 Senate colleagues in a letter highlighting the impact of closing the Department of Education on students 
with disabilities. Congressman Hoyer served as lead House sponsor of the ADA when it was proposed, and ultimately passed, during the George H.W. Bush Administration, and worked to pass the ADA Amendments Act of 2008. The night featured PBS News House co-anchor Amna Nawaz as emcee. BGL attendees also enjoyed networking opportunities and refreshments through the night.
Since 1972, the Bazelon Center has advocated for the civil rights, full inclusion, and equality of adults and children with mental disabilities. The Center uses cutting-edge litigation to effect progressive systemic change and impact public policy, including securing early legal precedents creating basic civil rights for people with mental disabilities—including the rights to a public education, to receive services in community-based settings instead of institutions, and to make decisions about one’s own care.
Eve serves as Chair of the Bazelon Board of Trustees, where she leads planning and facilitation of Bazelon Center events and programming, including the yearly reception. The reception, along with the Center’s broader work, reflects Bazelon’s commitment to advancing equity for individuals with disabilities nationwide. We are proud to stand beside Bazelon in recognition of our shared mission toward equitable access and disability rights for all across the country.
Learn more about our disability rights practice here.
MORE ABOUT EVE HILL
Eve Hill is one of the nation’s leading civil rights lawyers, known especially for her work with clients with disabilities and LGBTQ+ clients. She has been recognized by Law360 as one of just 12 “Titans of the Plaintiffs’ Bar” for 2023, as well as by Lawdragon as one of the 500 Leading Lawyers in America (2022, 2023, and 2024). Her wide-ranging experience complements Brown, Goldstein & Levy’s decades of dedication to high-impact disability rights cases and its advocacy on behalf of individuals with disabilities and their families. Eve also leads Inclusivity, BGL’s Strategic Consulting Group, which works with organizations to promote the education, engagement, and employment of people with disabilities. Learn more about Eve here.
MORE ABOUT ERIN O’NEILL
Erin O’Neill joined Brown, Goldstein & Levy in October 2023. Her practice includes cases involving civil rights, disability rights, personal injury, commercial litigation, and appeals. Prior to joining the firm, Erin clerked for the Honorable M. Margaret McKeown on the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and the Honorable Leslie Abrams Gardner on the United States District Court for the Middle District of Georgia. Learn more about Erin here.
MORE ABOUT SAMANTHA WESTRUM
Sam Westrum prioritizes client relationships and open communication in her legal representation. Listening to clients with compassion and honoring clients’ unique backgrounds and identities help Sam build trust in her advocacy. In doing so, she can let clients’ stories be heard in a way that is authentic to them: finding justice in the journey, not just the result. Prior to joining the firm, Sam was a Stew Dunn Legal Fellow at the American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia. Learn more about Sam here.
ABOUT BROWN GOLDSTEIN & LEVY
Founded in 1982, Brown Goldstein & Levy is a law firm based in Baltimore, Maryland, with an office in Washington, DC. The firm is nationally recognized in a wide variety of practice areas, including complex civil and commercial litigation, civil rights, health care, family law, and criminal defense. Above all else, Brown Goldstein & Levy is a client-centered law firm that brings decades of experience and passionate, effective advocacy to your fight for justice.