February 20, 2009 (Mountain View, CA) – Fenwick & West would like to congratulate Mitchell Zimmerman for earning the 2009 California Lawyer Magazine Attorney of the Year Award.
Mitchell, a partner in Fenwick's Intellectual Property and Litigation Groups, was the one of three Bay Area attorneys awarded for work in the Pro Bono category. After working 22 years, pro bono, to overturn a death sentence for client Henry Earl Duncan, Mitchell persuaded the Ninth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals that Duncan's attorney was ineffective for failing to present evidence showing that another person was implicated in the crime and was likely the actual killer.
Better known as the CLAY, this annual award recognizes the California attorneys whose achievements throughout the previous year have made a significant impact on the law. Government attorneys, public-interest lawyers, sole practitioners and attorneys from international firms were all considered when choosing honorees.
Mitchell was one of 43 attorneys to receive the thirteenth annual CLAY award. Winners were honored at a ceremony on Monday, March 3rd and their profiles were published in the March edition of California Lawyer Magazine.
This is the second year in a row Fenwick's partnership has received recognition from California Lawyer Magazine. Vic Schachter was the recipient of a 2008 CLAY Award.
Established in 1972, Fenwick & West provides comprehensive legal services to technology and life sciences clients of national and international prominence. Fenwick & West is committed to providing innovative, cost-effective and practical legal services that focus on global technology industries and issues. We differentiate ourselves by having a deeper understanding of our clients' technologies, industry environments and business needs than is typically expected of lawyers.