MIAMI – LawFuel.com – September 29, 2010 – Holland & Knight is pleased to announce that the firm has been named a recipient of the National Legal Aid & Defender Association’s (NLADA) 2010 Beacon of Justice Award, an award honoring law firms’ extraordinary commitment to providing pro bono legal representation in the area of Immigration Law.
Holland & Knight is one of 34 law firms across the country selected for this award. Recipients were determined as firms with a high commitment to pro bono work, specifically in the area of Immigration Law. A review committee selected the recipients based on their investment of time and legal representation provided on a variety of immigration issues to protect vulnerable clients. The broad range of pro bono cases taken on by the recipients include: asylum applications, appeals assisting immigrant victim of domestic abuse, sex trafficking victims, juvenile immigrant cases, support for the recognition of immigration rights for same-sex couples, and many more.
Holland & Knight will receive this award for the work that more than 103 of its attorneys and other professionals have done with the List Project, a not-for-profit organization that assists Iraqi citizens who are now endangered due to their support of United States personnel in Iraq. The firm’s clients provided services as translators, architects, office workers and drivers, but now are either in hiding in Iraq or exiled throughout the world. To date, the firm has successfully represented 423 men, woman and children and by doing so, the firm has created a new beginning for them in the U.S.
“We are honored to be recognized for making a significant impact on the lives of Iraqi citizens for our work on The List Project and are appreciative of Chris Nugent and Shannon Graving, who with the assistance of Steve Hanlon, Athea Rayo, Ban Hameed and Tona Rashad, led this initiative,” said Buddy Schulz, Chair of Holland & Knight’s Public and Charitable Service Department.
Holland & Knight will be presented the award at the NLADA Exemplar Award Dinner on October 6, 2010 at the JW Marriott Hotel in Washington, D.C.
About Holland & Knight’s Pro Bono Program:
For almost 40 years, a sense of community purpose has been instilled in Holland & Knight’s attorneys. Our attorneys recognize that they have a professional duty to provide free legal services to persons of limited means and organizations that assist them. In addition, the firm maintains a full-time department the Public and Charitable Service Department (PCS) that coordinates community, charitable and pro bono initiatives together with the Holland & Knight Charitable Foundation. The principal aim of this department is to focus the firm’s efforts on assisting needy individuals and organizations in the communities the firm serves. The PCS department also enhances the firm’s existing charitable activities conducted through the Holland & Knight Charitable Foundation. The integration of these efforts will ensure that the firm’s resources are utilized in a manner that will yield the most benefit to those in need.
About Holland & Knight LLP: Holland & Knight is a global law firm with more than 1,000 lawyers in 17 U.S. offices as well as Abu Dhabi, Beijing and Mexico City. The firm is among the nation’s largest law firms, providing representation in litigation, business, real estate and governmental law. Interdisciplinary practice groups and industry-based teams provide clients with access to attorneys throughout the firm, regardless of location. www.hklaw.com
