Annual Awards Program on October 10, 2024

Please join us as we celebrate this year’s recipients of the Roland K. Hall Award and the Access to Justice Award.

This year our awardees are: Edward L. Chun for the Roland K. Hall Award, and Angel L. Hess and Evguenia Vatchkova will receive the Access to Justice Award.

The event will be held on Thursday, October 10, 2024, at the Seymour Marine Discovery Center, 100 McAllister Way, Santa Cruz, from 5:30-7:30 pm.

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About the award recipients

Roland K. Hall Award to be presented to Edward L. Chun

The award is presented by the SCCBA to attorneys who have displayed outstanding public service to their community. The recipient must be a California lawyer, living or working in Santa Cruz County, who excels in the profession, is in good standing with the Bar and has provided outstanding community service over the years. In addition, the recipient should epitomize the spirit of Rollie Hall and be a credit to his memory. He or she should be eclectic and kind-spirited, someone who works hard.

Edward L. Chun

J. Edward L. Chun was born in the exotic land known as Queens, New York. He was raised in the shadow of the palace known as Shea Stadium, where he dreamed to patrol centerfield for the Metropolitans that played there. His dreams were stalled when he failed to make the college baseball team at the State University of New York at Stony Brook (it was a club team after all) and fully waylaid by his conscription at Brooklyn Law School and the Legal Aid Society, Juvenile Rights Division in the asphalt jungle of Manhattan.

He moved to Santa Cruz in 1991 to work for Biggam, Christensen & Minsloff, where he learned to be fearless and courageous in trying over 70 criminal jury trials. (He already had a thick skin from being a Mets fan for years.) He began practicing civil litigation and real property law in 2000 with the BossoWilliams firm. In 2012, he joined Atack and Penrose, which is now, Penrose Chun & Gorman, LLP. He specializes in real property law, real property litigation, estate, and trust disputes. He has been actively involved in the community as a member of the Santa Cruz County Trial Lawyers Association, a supporter of the high school mock trial program, and, of course, Little League.

One day he would like to be as good a lawyer as his wife and as smart as his kids. He no longer dreams of being the center fielder of the Mets. Now he just wants to be his agent.

The Access to Justice Award will be presented to Angel L. Hess and Evguenia Vatchkova

Angel L. Hess

Angel L. Hess has been practicing law since 2014.  She attended law school at Monterey College of Law in Seaside, California and has extensive experience handling cases that involve Contracts, Family Law, Probate, Estate Planning, Real Property, Civil Litigation, Elder Abuse, Civil Harassment, and Domestic Violence. Currently, Ms. Hess only practices law in the areas of Family Law, Elder Abuse, Civil Harassment, and Domestic Violence, Probate and Estate Planning.

Angel L. Hess has a partner in her law practice in the form of her dog “Talen” who is a certified therapy dog and retired service animal. Talen has a knack for calming and comforting clients who suffer from trauma and stress so that they are more open and responsive to the interview process necessary for effective representation.

Evguenia Vatchkova

Evguenia Vatchkova is a seasoned attorney with over 20 years of experience in juvenile dependency proceedings. Since 2010, she has been the Supervising Attorney at the Law Office of Evguenia Vatchkova/Parents’ Attorneys in Santa Cruz County, California, where she advocates for parents and legal guardians. Her background includes representing minors in juvenile delinquency cases and serving as a court-appointed defense attorney in criminal matters.

Evguenia holds a J.D. from Sofia University and a Ph.D. in Law from the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences. Fluent in English, Bulgarian, Russian, and French, she enhances her legal practice with diverse linguistic skills. She is a member of the State Bar of California, the Bar Association in Sofia, and the Bulgarian Association for Criminology. Additionally, she actively supports women in the legal profession as a member of Women Lawyers of Santa Cruz County.