Holland & Knight Receives Public Counsel's Prestigious 2007 Law Firm Pro Bono Award
Public Counsel, the largest pro bono organization in the world, has awarded Holland & Knight its prestigious 2007 Law Firm Pro Bono Award. This award is presented annually to a law firm or corporate legal department for leadership and advocacy on behalf of those who are indigent, vulnerable and victimized.
Holland & Knight was selected by the organization''s board of directors for the "breadth and sophistication of [its] pro bono efforts," particularly with regard to work on complicated and difficult asylum cases, assistance on Special Immigration Juvenile Status matters, work on behalf of homeless individuals, and cases through Public Counsel's Children's Rights Project and Community Development Project.
Last year, Holland & Knight lawyers contributed more than 600 hours of legal services as Public Counsel's lawyers, negotiating a complex transaction that resulted in a benefit of more than $1.5 million.
The award was presented to Holland & Knight's Managing Partner Howell Melton at the annual William O. Douglas Dinner on June 19 at the Century Plaza Hotel. Other honorees at the event included former U.S. Ambassador Madeleine Albright and Monty Hall, the legendary host of "Let's Make a Deal." More than 2,000 people attend this event each year.
"This is a great honor and a fitting tribute to lawyers and staff for their enormous good work and contributions to the Southern California community and beyond," said Jerry Levine, executive partner of the firm's Los Angeles office. "Holland & Knight is a pro bono champion with a deep sense of community purpose. Our commitment to providing needy people and groups with free legal services is one of our core values."
Holland & Knight is nationally known for its commitment to pro bono work, providing approximately 60,000 hours of pro bono service each year. Last year, the American Bar Association Section of Individual Rights and Responsibilities awarded its second Pro Bono Service Award to Holland & Knight for supporting the section's mission of securing and protecting human rights, civil liberties and social justice by providing countless hours of legal service. Corporate Pro Bono presented Holland & Knight with its 2006 Pro Bono Partner Award in recognition of the firm's participation in Volunteer Advocates for Immigrant Justice (VAIJ), which coordinates pro bono legal assistance for detained indigent immigrants and asylum seekers, and represents detained unaccompanied immigrant children in removal proceedings, alongside the Microsoft Corporation and five other law firms.
About Public Counsel: Public Counsel is the largest pro bono public interest law firm in the world. Founded in 1970, Public Counsel is dedicated to advancing equal justice under law by delivering free legal and social services to the most vulnerable members of our community, including abused and abandoned children, homeless families and veterans, senior citizens, victims of consumer fraud and nonprofit organizations serving low-income communities.