PAST EVENT: 12/13/2022
MICHAEL SCULLIN RECEIVES FRENCH MEDAL OF HONOR FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS
Tuesday, December 13, 2022
MICHAEL SCULLIN RECEIVES FRENCH MEDAL OF HONOR FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS
PHILADELPHIA, PA – Michael E. Scullin has been decorated with the Médaille d’honneur des affaires étrangères (Medal of Honor for Foreign Affairs) at a ceremony at Philadelphia City Hall on December 13, 2022. The award was presented by François Penguilly, Consul General of France in Washington, D.C. Scullin, who served as Honorary Consul for over 17 years, stepped down from the position earlier this year. He has engaged in activities involving France for over 25 years, for which he has received numerous awards and recognitions. He obtained French nationality in 2018.
​
The award is a state decoration bestowed by the French Republic in the form of an honor medal for work. It was originally created by a Royal decree of 28 July 1816 to reward acts of courage displayed by French nationals on foreign soil. Although still bestowed in wartime for courage, the modern award is now aimed at rewarding service by French diplomats and civil servants stationed outside of France.
In his remarks, Consul General Penguilly observed:
​
Ever since you took up your duties as honorary consul on August 1, 2005, you have fulfilled your tasks cheerfully and with great dedication. Your remarkable sense of public service, your consummate professionalism and your absolute loyalty put you in a class by yourself. You also spearheaded a partnership between the Lyon and Philadelphia Bar Associations, which helped further strengthen cooperation between the people and institutions of our two countries. The success of this program and your efforts to boost economic ties between the United States and France led to the signing of a protocol agreement between the cities of Lyon and Philadelphia, and between the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the Rhône-Alpes region (now the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes), that bolstered trade, industrial ties and cultural and business relations between those two cities and regions.
​
In addition to the Consul General and Mr. Scullin, speakers included Sheila Hess, Philadelphia City Representative, and David Briel, Deputy Secretary, Office of International Business Development, Pa. Department of Commerce and Economic Development. A color guard was provided by the First Troop Philadelphia City Cavalry (First City Troop), the oldest mounted military unit in the United States.
​
Scullin is Counsel to McElroy, Deutsch, a law firm with 13 offices in nine states. He has broad experience in cross-border transactions, corporate, commercial and estate law. He has held teaching assignments at Temple University and Arcadia University. He holds degrees from the University of Pennsylvania and the Penn State Dickinson School of Law and a Diploma in Advanced International Legal Studies from the McGeorge School of Law in Salzburg, Austria.