Nominations Sought for 2004 Pro Bono Publico Awards

CHICAGO, Jan. 30, 2004 – The American Bar Association Standing Committee on Pro Bono and Public Service is seeking nominations for the Pro Bono Publico Awards, which will be presented in August 2004 during the ABA Annual Meeting in Atlanta.

The Pro Bono Committee established the Pro Bono Publico Awards in 1984 to recognize lawyers and law firms for extraordinary noteworthy contributions to extending legal services to those who cannot afford legal representation.

Nominees may be individual lawyers, law firms, government attorney offices, corporate law departments and other institutions in the legal profession that have demonstrated outstanding commitment to volunteer legal services for the poor and the disadvantaged. Nominees may not earn their income delivering legal services to the poor.

Award winners will have accomplished one or more of the following:

• Demonstrated dedication to the development and delivery of legal services to the poor through a pro bono program
• Contributed significant work toward developing innovative approaches to delivery of volunteer legal services
• Participated in an activity that resulted in satisfying previously unmet needs or in extending services to underserved segments of the population
• Successfully litigated pro bono cases that favorably affected the provision of other services to the poor
• Successfully achieved legislation that contributed substantially to legal services for the poor.

Nominations must be received no later than March 10.

A full description of the award and the nomination process can be found in downloadable form on the committee’s Web site at www.abaprobono.org.

The American Bar Association is the largest voluntary professional membership association in the world. With more than 400,000 members, the ABA provides law school accreditation, continuing legal education, information about the law, programs to assist lawyers and judges in their work, and initiatives to improve the legal system for the public.