Grand Prize and People’s Choice Winners selected for impact to clients and communities.
CHICAGO — Smokeball, the industry-leading legal practice management software platform, announced the 2024 Grand Prize and People’s Choice winners of its Beacon Award, which recognizes legal professionals making significant impacts on their clients and communities. This is Smokeball’s second year presenting the awards.
“Smokeball has prioritized community since its inception, and the Beacon Awards are one of our best expressions of that value,” said Hunter Steele, CEO & co-founder of Smokeball. “We consider it a privilege to get to celebrate the work our clients are doing to serve their respective communities. All of our finalists are true community heroes who are changing lives and transforming communities through their legal services and pro bono work.”
Beacon Award Grand Prize Winner
The judging panel selected Mikye Miller of MJ Miller Law as the 2024 Grand Prize winner. He will receive a $2,500 check and a $2,500 donation to a legal aid organization of his choice.
For nearly 15 years, Miller centered his legal practice around pro bono work. Recognized as Pro Bono Attorney of the Year by Nevada Legal Services in 2012 and 2023, Mikye dedicates over 100 hours annually to pro bono and reduced-fee services. Mikye regularly carries two to three pro bono cases in his caseload, has taken multiple pro bono cases to trial with successful outcomes for his clients, has represented minors in guardianships and actively supports the LGBTQIA+ community by offering free legal services for name changes. His commitment to helping those in need extends to organizing free legal clinics, volunteering monthly at “ask a lawyer” clinics, and offering legal education to the gender-diverse community on the name change process and associated resources.
“I am deeply honored to receive Smokeball’s Beacon Award. Drawing from my personal experience as a member of the LGBTQIA+ community, I understand the critical need for legal advocacy,” said Miller. “Giving back to my community has always been at the heart of my work as an attorney. I remain committed to providing affordable legal services to Northern Nevada residents, particularly focusing on marginalized community members.”
Beacon Award People’s Choice Winner
Public voting selected Candice Iheme of the Law Office of Candice E. Iheme out of the nine finalists to be the People’s Choice winner.
Active in numerous community organizations, Iheme offers free consultations daily through her law firm and has dedicated hundreds of hours to pro bono work throughout her legal career. She helps people with their pro se applications and directs them to other pro bono services where they can get free representation. She also dedicates time each week to work for the Office of Public Defender. Her tireless dedication helps those who cannot afford attorneys receive the legal support they need, fulfilling her commitment to justice.
“It is a great honor to have been selected as the People’s Choice Winner,” said Iheme. “I am committed to advocating for those who cannot properly advocate for themselves, making pro bono work a priority for me. Though the work can be arduous, it is very rewarding to help change lives.”
The other 2024 Beacon Award Finalists were Colleen Contreras, Ted Donner, Molly Hargrove, Andrea Keifer, Anthony Naro, Jerry Novak and Scott Walker.
To learn more about the Smokeball Beacon Awards and how to participate in 2025, please visit https://www.smokeball.com/smokeball-beacon-award/finalists.
About Smokeball
Smokeball is your partner to drive your law firm into the future. As the industry’s leading cloud-based legal practice management software, Smokeball empowers you to run your firm specific to your area of law. Our platform gives you all the insights and tools you need to work smarter, not harder: automatic time tracking and invoicing, streamlined workflows for your specific practice area, a library of over 20,000 standard legal forms and documents, and actionable reports. Smokeball is a member benefit of over 20 US bar associations. Learn how to run your best firm at smokeball.com.
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