Margaret Z. Johns, a lecturer in the University of California, Davis, law school, is the recipient of the 21st James H. Meyer Distinguished Achievement Award. The award will be presented Wednesday, Dec. 1, at the University Club by the Academic Federation of UC Davis, whose members include lecturers, librarians, professional researchers, adjunct professors and cooperative extension specialists. The award is important because it recognizes distinguished achievements in research and public service throughout the recipient's career, says Patsy Inouye, chair of the Academic Federation and a campus librarian. The award is accompanied by $1,000, which Johns has donated to the law school's new civil rights clinic that she helped establish. Nominated by Bruce Wolk, dean of the UC Davis law school, Johns was selected for the award on the basis of her accomplishments in the field of law. "Her record is impressive. She has 13 years of teaching and public service work, and this fall, established the civil rights clinic, an important activity for the law school," Inouye said. In addition, Inouye says, Johns has provided pro bono services to indigent litigants and is working to help people in the state as a whole. Johns earned her law degree in 1976 at the UC Davis law school and began teaching here in 1980. She specializes in civil litigation, torts and civil rights. In 1991, she received a UC Davis law school Distinguished Teaching Award, a Pro Bono Award from the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California and was appointed to the Ninth Circuit Judicial Conference by the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California. Earlier this year, she was the faculty commencement speaker at the UC Davis law school graduation ceremonies.