McDermott Will & Emery and Harvey Freishtat Receive JALSA’s Distinguished Community Leadership Award
BOSTON (October 28, 2009) —The Jewish Alliance for Law & Social Action (JALSA) will present McDermott Will & Emery LLP and Chairman Harvey Freishtat with the Distinguished Community Leadership Award for their commitment to community service and dedication to justice. McDermott and Mr. Freishtat will be honored at a tribute dinner on Thursday, November 5 at the Mandarin Oriental in Boston.
Sheila Decter, JALSA executive director, said, “McDermott has a long-standing commitment to pro bono and community service that is apparent across all of the Firm’s offices. Harvey has been instrumental in growing the Firm’s highly successful pro bono and community service program and in building a workplace environment that has overcome social barriers. JALSA, an organization whose mission is grounded in principles of social and economic justice, is proud to present this award to Harvey and McDermott for their dedication to these efforts."
For the past six years, Mr. Freishtat has inspired McDermott lawyers and staff worldwide to engage in meaningful community service opportunities and to provide pro bono legal services to underrepresented and disadvantaged individuals and communities.
“We are honored to accept this award from JALSA,” said Mr. Freishtat, “Through our pro bono and community service program, we have established a culture that encourages all of our lawyers and staff to give back to the many communities around the world of which we are a part. We understand our unique privilege and professional responsibility as lawyers to enhance the lives of those in need and are committed to ensuring that low-income and disadvantaged individuals have access to justice.”
A sample of the Firm’s additional pro bono honors this year include:
-
The American Bar Association honored McDermott with its 2009 Pro Bono Publico Award for its leadership role in the Holocaust Survivors Justice Network. The ABA Pro Bono Publico Award is the profession’s highest recognition for pro bono legal work.
-
The Massachusetts Bar Association honored McDermott with its 2009 Access to Justice Pro Bono Award for Law Firms for McDermott’s dedication to providing pro bono legal services to low-income communities in Massachusetts.
-
Human Rights First honored McDermott with its 2009 Marvin Frankel Award in recognition of McDermott’s dedication to several complex asylum and immigration matters as well as Human Rights First’s advocacy efforts.
-
The Sikh Coalition honored McDermott with its first ever “Legal Justice Award” in recognition of McDermott’s dedication to the Coalition’s advocacy efforts and to protecting America’s ideals of liberty and justice for all.
-
Immigration Equality honored McDermott with its 2009 Safe Haven Award for McDermott's successful representation over a 14-month period of a gay man from Uzbekistan.
-
The Chicago Legal Clinic honored McDermott with its 2009 Pro Bono Award in recognition of the Chicago office’s dedication to providing pro bono legal services to indigent Chicago-area residents.
-
The Door honored McDermott with its 2009 Pro Bono Champion Award in recognition of the New York office’s dedication to providing pro bono legal services to and protecting the rights of disadvantaged youth.
-
The Children’s Law Center in Washington, D.C. recognized McDermott as the leading provider of pro bono services to the organization, ranking the Firm first on its list of “Top 10 Pro Bono Firms in 2008.”
-
The Put Something Back Pro Bono Project, a joint project of the Eleventh Judicial Circuit and the Dade County Bar Association, honored McDermott for its participation in the Holocaust Survivors Justice Network in South Florida.
-
The Redwood City School Board in California honored McDermott for its “dedicated and generous service as Citizen Schools’ Teachers for McKinley Institute of Technology.”
In 2008, McDermott lawyers and staff devoted approximately 95,000 hours to pro bono matters and community service, and more than 70 percent of our lawyers provided pro bono legal services to the poor, to organizations that serve the indigent and to certain not-for-profit organizations and small businesses focused on serving low-income communities. Our program is led by a full-time pro bono and community service counsel and a Pro Bono & Community Service Committee.
McDermott Will & Emery is a premier international law firm with a diversified, multi-area business practice. We represent a wide range of commercial, industrial and financial enterprises, both publicly and privately held. Our clientele include some of the world’s largest corporations, small and medium-sized businesses, and individuals. Numbering more than 1,000 lawyers, we have offices in Boston, Brussels, Chicago, Düsseldorf, Houston, London, Los Angeles, Miami, Milan, Munich, New York, Orange County, Rome, San Diego, Silicon Valley and Washington, D.C. Extending our reach to Asia, we have a strategic alliance with MWE China Law Offices in Shanghai.
JALSA is a Boston-based social justice organization that is committed to defending civil rights and constitutional liberties, and to the passionate pursuit of social and economic justice for all. JALSA carries out its mission by creating and working in coalitions to address issues of religious freedom and diversity, the rights of minorities, public education, ending discrimination in the workplace, environmental justice, access to health care, and other issues which are essential to creating an equitable and just society. For more information about sponsorship opportunities and tickets please contact JALSA at office@jalsa.org or call +1 617 227 3000.
