NHLA Paralegal and Public Benefits Project Co-Director Megan Dillon in her office. (Photo by Rose Lamerand)
On Friday, September 20, at the Paralegal Association of New Hampshire’s Annual Meeting held at the Oscar Barn in Hooksett, Megan Dillon, a paralegal and co-director of the Public Benefits Project at New Hampshire Legal Assistance (NHLA), will be honored with the 2024 Paralegal Professionalism Award.
This annual award is presented to the nominee who best exhibits a high degree of professionalism, possesses an outstanding level of knowledge about their job, is motivated beyond expectations, is considered a role model for other paralegals, and promotes paralegal work as a profession.
“I am incredibly humbled and thankful,” says Dillon. “I was surprised and shocked when Kate Mahan called me and told me I’d be receiving this award, and when Sarah [Mattson-Dustin] shared the nominations letters with me, I was brought to tears. These are wonderful people I tremendously respect. They are all so brilliant and to know they feel the way they do in those letters is super validating. It’s pretty incredible.”
Growing up in Deerfield, Dillon was inspired by her parents. Her mother was a psychiatric nurse at the New Hampshire State Hospital and her father was a clinician for the Manchester Mental Health Center.
“They both worked very long and hard in difficult fields, and they showed me what it means to provide service to people,” Dillon says.
After graduating from Coe-Brown Northwood Academy in 1999, she attended Roger Williams University in Rhode Island, where she received a bachelor’s degree in justice studies in 2003. During an independent study her senior year, she was struck by the lack of representation in civil legal cases, a realization that ignited her passion for advocacy.
After gaining valuable experience in her first post-college job as an arraignment clerk for the criminal division of the Concord District Court for four years, Dillon found her true calling at NHLA in 2007.
“I read the mission of NHLA and what they do, and I realized this is the job for me. This is the job I’ve been looking for,” she says.
Dillon eventually received a special certification through the Social Security Administration to become an EDPNA – eligible for direct pay non-attorney – a non-attorney who can represent claimants during the Social Security disability adjudicatory process.
She says one of her first cases as an EDPNA was a Navy veteran who suffered a significant cervical spine impairment from an injury while working in a submarine. His veteran’s benefits weren’t coming through because his disability rating wasn’t high enough.
“When I told him I would take his case, he asked me how I would be able to help since I’m not an attorney,” Dillon recalls. “I told him about the special certification and that if he gave me a chance, I would do my best for him.”
The client was initially reluctant but decided to trust Dillon. She was eventually able to secure his benefits and a significant amount in retroactive benefits. He also had five children, each of whom received a dependent benefit under his claim once he was approved.
“His house was in foreclosure at the time, so this actually saved his house,” says Dillon, adding that when she closed his case, he told her he would call her every year to thank her. “And he does. It’s incredible. That was the first time I realized how much of an impact paralegals can make when they are primary advocates.”
NHLA Executive Director Sarah Mattson-Dustin spoke highly of Dillon in her letter of nomination for the Paralegal Professionalism Award.
“Megan is a well-rounded advocate with a wealth of subject matter knowledge and advocacy skills,” she wrote. “During many years at NHLA, I have worked with many dozens of attorneys and paralegals. Megan is among the most knowledgeable…She is not only a role model for paralegals – she is affirmatively seeking to support the next generation of paralegals and increase the visibility of the paralegal profession.”
Attorney Ruth Heintz, Dillon’s direct supervisor at NHLA, considers Dillon an equal to attorneys.
“Megan and I frequently consult on our cases as equals,” Heintz wrote in her nomination letter. “In addition to SSDI/SSI cases, Megan handles unemployment benefits, Medicaid, and RSA Chapter 165 municipal general assistance cases. In all these areas of the law, she is the equal of NHLA attorneys in her knowledge, practice, and representation of clients before administrative tribunals. While we keep learning in our profession, there is not a single identifiable deficiency in Megan’s work as a case handler, advocate, and project director. I feel very fortunate to be Megan’s colleague, supervisor, and fellow ‘disability nerd.’”
Dillon’s advocacy work also extends beyond her daily responsibilities, influencing legislative processes and shaping policies that protect vulnerable populations. This past year, she testified in front of the House Finance Committee and the Senate Judiciary Committee regarding House Bill 1598, the Foster Youth Bill, which aims to stop the State from being the beneficiary of foster children’s social security benefits.
“Though the bill is still being worked on, Megan’s testimony was so valuable in convincing legislators and the Department of Health and Human Services that this is a policy that can work and will be of immense benefit to foster children,” says Representative Mary Jane Wallner, who sponsored the bill. “What was a complicated piece of legislation was made understandable by Megan. Without Megan’s strong advocacy, expertise, and wealth of information, I think the bill would have failed.”
Disability Rights Center Attorney Karen Rosenberg, who also worked on the bill, says she was impressed with Dillon’s vast knowledge of Social Security.
“I have worked with many paralegals throughout my career, and during all this time, I have never observed another paralegal exhibit the degree of knowledge, practical expertise, command of relevant law, and ability to cogently communicate all of this that Megan displayed during our time working together on HB 1598,” Rosenberg says.
NHLA Youth Law Project Director Michelle Wangerin noted in her nomination letter that this is the second time she has nominated Dillon.
“Over the many years I have worked with Megan, she has consistently wowed me with her substantive knowledge of complex Social Security laws, easily directing me and others, seemingly no matter the issue, to precise federal regulations and guidance to kick off deeper research,” Wangerin wrote. “Her attention to detail and organizational skills are unparalleled. In advocacy roles, she is one of the most effective I have experienced…Megan exemplifies how a paralegal can best bolster our legal profession.”
Dillon also takes pride in her work assisting her clients with Medicaid’s MEAD program, and with helping her fellow paralegals succeed.
“I’m spearheading a committee to start a paralegal internship program with NHLA,” Dillon says. “We currently have a regular internship program for law students but don’t have anything like that for paralegals. I’ve been working with Stacey Peters from NHTI, which has the only ABA-approved paralegal certificate program in the state. We are hoping to launch that in 2025.”
Dillon’s ability to blend expertise with empathy has not only earned her the Paralegal Professionalism Award but has also made her a beacon of inspiration for both current and future legal professionals. Perhaps the greatest tribute to her work comes from her six-year-old daughter, who proudly shares with others when asked what her mother does, “My mommy helps people.”
