Associate attorney Jake McGhie of the law firm of Althauser Rayan Abbarno LLP has been elected as the 2018 president of the Lewis County Bar Association.
McGhie is a criminal defense attorney that has been with the firm since 2014. He represents clients charged with felony and misdemeanor offenses, DUI and traffic infractions.
“It is an honor to be elected president of the Lewis County Bar Association,” McGhie said. “Attorneys want to provide the best legal representation to their clients and advocate for their rights and benefits. The bar association is an organization that helps attorneys better their legal representation and better the legal system as a whole.”
The Lewis County Bar Association is a local organization of attorneys that meet monthly to discuss legal issues, provide continuing legal education and help attorneys deliver the best legal services to the area, according to a press release.
“For more than 70 years, Althauser Rayan Abbarno has had a long and proud history of community service and serving the legal community,” Peter Abbarno, a partner at the law firm, said. “Jake continues that tradition and we are proud of his activity in the community.”
Last year, McGhie was selected to a four-year term by the bar association to serve as an at-large attorney member on the Law and Justice Council, which provides a forum and structure to enhance and coordinate criminal justice programs, agencies and services in the county.
Emily Laz, another attorney at the firm, will also serve as the 2018 president of the Lewis County Bar Legal Aid. The nonprofit is a client-centered organization that serves the legal needs of the community. Its mission is to provide accessible, local, client centered civil legal services to low income residents of the county.
Laz, a family law attorney, has been with the firm since 2014 and assists clients with adoptions, divorces, child custody and support cases and cases that involve domestic violence.
“Althauser Rayan Abbarno could not be happier that our attorneys have adopted our law firm’s long standing commitment to the community,” Abbarno said. “We are always looking for opportunities to give back and improve the quality of life in Lewis County and beyond.”
