Ballard Spahr has announced the 2010 recipients of the firm's Pro Bono Awards and the Alan J. Davis Award, presented each year to Ballard Spahr lawyers and other professionals who contribute significant pro bono legal services to individuals in need and community organizations. This year, three teams and three individuals from the firm's Atlanta, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C., offices were recognized.
Ballard Spahr makes a $1,000 contribution to a local nonprofit organization in the name of each Pro Bono Award recipient. In addition, the firm donates $25,000 to a charitable organization selected by the recipient of the Alan J. Davis Award, named for a former city solicitor and an esteemed litigator at Ballard Spahr. The firm also honors every attorney and paralegal who recorded more than 50 hours of pro bono time in the previous year.
Recipients of Ballard Spahr's 2010 Pro Bono Awards are as follows:
The Legal Aid Clinic Team in Ballard Spahr's Atlanta office organized and staffed a clinic to provide residents of the Living Room, Inc., with living wills and advanced-care directives. Living Room, Inc., is a nonprofit organization that helps find affordable housing for low-income individuals living with HIV or AIDS. The team included J. Scott Anderson, Joseph P. Anderson III , Cecilia M. Andrews, Bruce Becker, Charley Brown, David A. Cornett, Winston T. Folmar, Robin L. Gentry, John G. Graves, Kevin W. Hathcock, J. Gibson Lanier, Scott Marty, Rebecca C. E. McFadyen, Mary Anthony Merchant, Jennifer F. Miller, D. Brian Shortell, and Seth K. Trimble. The Legal Aid Clinic Team designated its donation to be divided between Atlanta Legal Aid Society and Living Room, Inc.
The Tangled Title Team from the Philadelphia office donated hundreds of hours to help low-income homeowners establish clear title to their homes. A clear title is significant because it is frequently a prerequisite for applying for heating and repair grants, settling tax liens, or refinancing homes. Members of the team are Frederic W. Clark, Jeffrey Meyers, Aldie Jennings Loubier, and Francine Appleton. They designated their donation to be made to the Tangled Title Fund at PhiladelphiaVIP.
The Juvenile Justice Training Materials Project, also in Ballard Spahr's Philadelphia office, researched and drafted chapters addressing common topics for a statewide training manual for the Defender Association of Philadelphia to improve and standardize the level of representation provided to juveniles across Pennsylvania. The team included Amy Shellhammer, Aisha M. Barbour, Lisa M. Cuifolo, Mark J. Furletti, Kelley A. Grady, Emily M. Heersink, Jocelyn K. O'Brien, and Alexandre N. Turner. The Juvenile Justice Training Materials Project has designated its donation be made to the Defender Association of Philadelphia.
Frederic (Rick) L. Ballard, Jr., from Ballard Spahr's Washington, D.C., office, received the award in recognition for his may years as an engaged leader in the nonprofit sector. Members of the firm's pro bono program regularly rely on him for advice and supervision of matters involving nonprofit organizations. Mr. Ballard has designated his donation to be made to the Washington Area Women's Foundation.
The Alan J. Davis Award was presented posthumously to Philadelphia lawyers Jacquelyn Gray and Jonathan Schmidt, who were nominated individually. Ms. Gray and Mr. Schmidt each gave their time generously for the public good, despite facing their own grave medical issues. Ms. Gray worked at numerous tax clinics in the Kennett Square area to assist migrant farm workers in filing their tax returns, in addition to providing pro bono services to individual clients. Mr. Schmidt founded the Southeast Pennsylvania First Suburbs Project to revitalize communities facing racial and economic segregation, declining infrastructure, concentrated levels of poverty, and struggling school districts. The firm's $25,000 contribution associated with the award is being donated to Philadelphia Legal Assistance in memory of Ms. Gray and to the First Suburbs Project in memory of Mr. Schmidt.
The Pro Bono Service Award was also given to 164 Ballard Spahr attorneys and paralegals who each provided more than 50 hours of pro bono service in their communities in 2009. As a signatory to the Law Firm Pro Bono Challenge established by the American Bar Association and administered by the Pro Bono Institute, Ballard Spahr has annually made and met a commitment to donate at least 3% of its billable hours to pro bono service annually. In 2009, firm professionals donated more than 38,000 hours of pro bono legal services.