LEWISTON – Attorney William B. Cote of Laskoff & Associates, 103 Park St., has been chosen as a co-recipient of the John W. Ballou Distinguished Service Award by the Board of Governors of the Maine State Bar Association.

The award, named for a Bangor lawyer, is given to a member of the legal community who exemplifies the example set by Ballou. It recognizes the commitment Cote has made to saving the lives and careers of impaired lawyers.

Cote graduated from Harvard University in 1978 and the University of Maine School of Law in 1983. His practice includes criminal defense litigation, family law, personal injury law, administrative law, insurance law and general civil litigation.

He is a member of the Maine State Bar Association, where he served as a member of the Board of Governors. In addition, Cote serves as the chairman of the Maine State Bar Association’s Substance Abuse Committee. He is also a member of the Androscoggin Bar Association, Maine Trial Lawyers Association, the Maine Medico-Legal Society, the Maine Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. He is a former commission member of the state of Maine Substance Abuse Services Commission and formerly served on the board of directors of Maine Pretrial Services. He was appointed by the Maine Supreme Court as the chairman of the commission directing the Maine Assistance Program for Lawyers and Judges.