Mountain View, Calif. (July 2, 2014)– Fenwick & West announced today that the firm received the National Legal Aid & Defender Association’s prestigious 2014 Beacon of Justice Award, which recognizes law firms that use innovative tools, technology and ideas to increase access to representation for low-income individuals.
Fenwick was honored by the National Legal Aid & Defender Association (NLADA) at its Exemplar Awards Dinner in Washington, DC on June 26.
In bestowing the Beacon of Justice Award on Fenwick, NLADA acknowledged the “depth and impact” of Fenwick’s efforts to “advance policies and practices that provide pathways to justice and opportunity.”
The award highlights Fenwick’s work integrating virtual technology into the pro bono clinic model to increase access by rural communities to legal aid. The virtual pro bono project, jointly undertaken with the Pro Bono Project of Silicon Valley, Cisco Systems and DLA Piper, has been so successful that other legal services agencies in California are piloting their own virtual clinics.
“At Fenwick, we see pro bono work as an integral part of professional responsibility and as a wonderful opportunity to contribute to the community,” said Patrick Premo, chair of Fenwick’s pro bono program. “We are proud to be supporting the virtual pro bono clinic and honored to be recipients of the Beacon of Justice Award.”
“The virtual pro bono clinic is both rewarding for the attorney and necessary for the rural communities. The use of technology allows us to reach individuals and communities with great needs and that have little resources otherwise available,” said Fenwick litigation associate, Brian Lahti, who participated in the project.
This project exemplifies Fenwick’s nationally recognized pro bono program that includes civil rights, child advocacy and political asylum work as well as impact litigation, the Appellate Project, Street Law, AIDS Project and death penalty cases. Over the past five years, Fenwick attorneys and staff have completed almost 50,000 pro bono hours valued at roughly $20 million in legal fees.
About Fenwick & West
Fenwick & West provides comprehensive legal services to groundbreaking technology and life sciences companies at every stage of their lifecycle. We craft innovative, cost-effective and practical solutions for established and emerging companies on issues ranging from venture capital, public offerings, joint ventures, M&A and strategic relationships, to intellectual property, litigation and dispute resolution, taxation, antitrust, and employment and labor law. For more than four decades, Fenwick has helped some of the world's most recognized companies become and remain market leaders.