Wilson C. Boveland is a solo practitioner in New Orleans. He was presented the Crystal Gavel Award for his long-standing commitment to volunteering in both legal and non-legal capacities in his community.

As a former teacher and vice-principal at Andrew J. Bell Junior High School, Mr. Boveland is deeply dedicated to education and the teaching profession. He has provided free notary services for New Orleans public school employees since 1991. Since 1996, he has provided free workshops and seminars to retiring educators on pensions, insurance, and other retirement issues. For the past six years, Mr. Boveland has provided free food and school supplies for the United Teachers of New Orleans (UTNO) Back to School event for needy children in the community. In 2005 and 2006, he led a nationwide drive to collect books and school supplies to provide to public schools and children.

In 2006, he began providing free legal advice to the Hume Child Development Center, a pre-school education center for underprivileged children in New Orleans. He accepted a position on the board of directors for the Center last year. Since 2007, Mr. Boveland has also provided free legal services for The United Educators, Inc., a non-profit organization that provides training to public school teachers throughout the parish. He is also an officer of the Beau Brummells Club, Inc., which in 2006 began collecting and distributing toys and gift certificates for underprivileged children at Christmas.

For the past 12 years, he has provided free workshops and seminars to various churches throughout the community regarding wills and successions. In January of 2009, Mr. Boveland provided the pro bono legal services that merged two historically significant churches that had been devastated and partly destroyed by Hurricane Katrina- Central United Church of Christ and St. Matthew United Church of Christ. For the past 22 years, since 1990, Mr. Boveland has been providing free notary services to members of the Central Church of Christ in New Orleans.

Mr. Boveland is a Lifetime Member of the New Orleans Chapter of the NAACP. He has been a member of the New Orleans Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday Planning Committee for over 10 years. He is the chairman of the televised MLK Holiday Choral Concert, which has brought together public school choirs throughout the city each year since 1992 in tribute to Dr. King.

“Wilson is genuinely dedicated to using his skills, both professional and personal, for the greater good of the community,” said Larry J. Carter, president of the United Teachers of New Orleans. “His efforts are remarkable and commendable; he has touched the lives of countless New Orleans residents, both young and old.”

Mr. Boveland earned his law degree from the Loyola University College of Law.