Do you
know a good pro bono lawyer?
The State Bar
of California is seeking nominations for the 2012 President’s Pro Bono
Awards and the Loren Miller Legal Services Award. Both recognize extraordinary
efforts to provide high-quality legal services to low-income Californians. The
nominations deadline is Thursday, March 15, and the awards will be
presented during the 2012 State Bar Annual Meeting scheduled for October in
Monterey.
President’s
Pro Bono Service Awards
Bar licensees
as well as law students who performed extraordinary pro bono service during
calendar 2011 are eligible for the 2012 President’s Pro Bono Service
Awards. Eligible nominees are individual California attorneys, law firms with
offices in California, associations of California lawyers, law schools
accredited by the American Bar Association or the State Bar and law students, who did not receive
compensation or academic credit for the pro bono work. The work must be legal
work, not civic or community service in nature.
Recipients of
the 2011 Pro Bono Awards included Judith A. Litzenberger, a San Diego solo
practitioner; Suesan Gerard, a Los Angeles law student; and the Skadden, Arps,
Slate, Meagher & Flom firm’s LA office, which in 2010 logged more
than 16,300 pro bono hours.
Loren
Miller Legal Services Award
The Loren
Miller Legal Services Award honors one person a year for a lifetime commitment
to providing legal services to low-income Californians. There are myriad
lawyers working selflessly every day for their entire careers to make sure all
Californians have access to proper legal representation. This award is
to recognize their service. Many are nominated, but only one is chosen each
year. Please consider resubmitting previous nominees.
In 2011, the
Loren Miller Legal Services Award went to Sid Wolinsky, of Berkeley, who for
four decades and counting has focused on representing low-income and disabled
clients, including veterans and the homeless.
For more
information about both awards, please visit Loren Miller Award or Pro Bono Awards; or contact Joilene Wood Grove,
awards chair, at jgrove@wsgr.com, or Sharon Ngim, State Bar
staff liaison at sharon.ngim@calbar.ca.gov or 415-538-2267.