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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.