SOUTH PORTLAND — Maine Equal Justice Partners awarded attorney Jeffrey Young of the Topsham law firm McTeague Higbee with the 2012 Equal Justice Hero Award during the recent Maine Access to Justice Symposium in South Portland.

According to a news release, Young was presented the award for his commitment and conviction in the pursuit of equal justice for all Maine people. Most notably, Young has worked with MEJP, the Disability Rights Center, and the National Health Law Program to file a class action lawsuit against the Maine Department of Health and Human Services on behalf of individuals with cerebral palsy, epilepsy, and other related conditions to ensure they have access to adequate services and living arrangements to allow them to live more independent and fulfilling lives. The case was settled in September and will require the state to implement systemic changes that will benefit the plaintiffs and other similarly situated individuals.

Young joined McTeague Higbee in 1988.