State Sen. Lydia Edwards Named Legislator of the Year Award - Mass Bar Association

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The Massachusetts Bar Assoc

iation will honor State Sen. Lydia Edwards with its Legislator of the Year Award at the MBA Annual Dinner on Thursday, May 7, at the Westin Boston Seaport District, 425 Summer St., Boston. The award recognizes state or federal legislators who have distinguished themselves in public service through outstanding contributions to the legal profession, courts and administration of justice.

Edwards is a career advocate, activist, and voice on behalf of society's most vulnerable. She was raised all over the world by her military mom but chose to make East Boston her home.

Prior to being elected to the State Senate and Boston City Council, Edwards worked extensively in the legal field. She worked as a public interest attorney with Greater Boston Legal Services, focusing on labor issues such as fighting for access to unemployment insurance, back wages, and fair treatment for domestic workers, and combating human trafficking.

Edwards coordinated a statewide campaign to pass the Domestic Workers Bill of Rights — and she won. Following the bill’s passage, she was named Bostonian of the Year, Honorable Mention, by the Boston Globe. In February 2023, Edwards was named chair of the Joint Housing Committee and led the passage of the Affordable Homes Act, which included policies like eviction record-sealing, accessory dwelling units as a right for homeowners, the creation of a Fair Housing Office, and $5.4 billion in bonds to address Massachusetts' housing crisis.

In March 2025, for the 194th legislative session, she was named chair of the Joint Committee on the Judiciary, overseeing matters related to crimes, penalties, sentencing, criminal records, judicial appointments and court administration.In addition to her role as a state senator, she serves as a captain in the Massachusetts National Guard, working as a judge advocate general, where she addresses military legal matters. 

"As chair of the Joint Committee on the Judiciary, Sen. Edwards has brought the same commitment to fairness and justice that defined her much-heralded work as a legal aid attorney," said MBA Chief Legal Counsel and Chief Operating Officer Martin W. Healy. "We are proud to present her with the MBA's Legislator of the Year Award in recognition of her selfless service to the people of this commonwealth."  

Click here to read the article on massbar.org.