Local District Attorney Jason Lawson has received top recognition by his peers for his work in the area of child support collection.   At the annual statewide meeting of District Attorneys last Thursday, Lawson was named the 2023 winner of the Paul Phillips Award.  The award is named for a retired District Attorney General from the 8th Judicial District and recognizes outstanding leadership in the area of child support collections.  The award is selected by a committee of serving District Attorneys led by General Dan Armstrong of the 3rd Judicial District.  The Phillips award was the only recognition of an individual prosecutor at the statewide meeting of district attorneys.  The award has never been won by a prosecutor from Lawson’s district.  The award was presented by Chairman Armstrong, and was given to Lawson in recognition of his innovative work in the area of child support collection, particularly for creating incentive awards for local child support collectors based upon whether they meet certain goals such as the number of cases receiving payments, the amounts collected, and the percentage of cases with court orders establishing collections.  It was also noted that since becoming District Attorney, Lawson had allocated part of his state resources to improving equipment and other support tools to assist child support case managers in meeting these performance measures.  “Child support collection is one of the duties that is assigned to District Attorneys,” explained Lawson.  “It improves the quality of life of the child and the opportunities available to them if they receive support from both parents.  Both custodial and noncustodial parents have an obligation to that child, and I believe that each side doing their fair share is what is best for the child,” said Lawson.