3M Legal Department Receives Pro Bono Award

CHICAGO, Feb. 13, 2004 — The American Bar Association Section of Litigation announced today that the 2004 Pro Bono Award has been awarded to 3M. The section’s Corporate Counsel Committee presented the award during a luncheon ceremony at the committee’s continuing legal education seminar in La Quinta, Calif. Accepting the award on behalf of 3M was Maureen A. Harms, counsel, 3M Office of General Counsel.

This year marks the sixth annual presentation of the award, which is given to a company whose legal department demonstrates exceptional commitment to providing pro bono (free) legal services. The award recognizes the largely unsung heroes who do pro bono work from an in-house law department and in so doing inspire others.

“This year’s award winner, 3M, embodies the commitment and passion necessary to foster and nurture legal services in the community,” said Lisa C. Wood, vice chair of the Corporate Counsel Committee. “We salute 3M as a valuable partner in providing legal service to those in need. The company has a long history of supporting these efforts in many different ways, and has demonstrated its commitment to access to justice for all, time and time again.”

“We are honored by this award in recognition of our legal staff’s dedication and hard work in assisting people who might not otherwise have access to legal representation,” said Richard F. Ziegler, senior vice president, 3M Legal Affairs and General Counsel.

3M’s legal team was selected because of its long record of serving those in need in the Minneapolis-St. Paul community. Most recently, 3M partnered with the Children’s Law Center of Minnesota to provide much needed representation for children in the foster care system. Through its long-standing partnership with Southern Minnesota Regional Legal Services, 3M provides volunteers to represent low-income clients in immigration, family law and housing matters. 3M has also demonstrated leadership in seeking state funding for legal services, and in working to build bipartisan support for equal access to justice.

Joining Harms at the luncheon and making remarks on children’s advocacy was Gail Chang Bohr, executive director of the Children’s Law Center of Minnesota.

The Corporate Counsel Committee of the ABA Section of Litigation focuses on solutions to corporate law and private practice issues through dialogue between private and public legal counsel. For more information on the committee’s meetings and work, visit the section’s Web site at www.abanet.org/litigation.

With more than 74,000 members, the ABA Section of Litigation includes trial lawyers, judges and others involved in all aspects of litigation and the dispute resolution process. The Section of Litigation is dedicated to promoting justice both domestically and internationally, as well as enhancing public understanding of and respect for the legal profession.

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 he law, programs to assist lawyers and judges in their work, and initiatives to improve the legal system for the public.