The National Legal Aid & Defender Association (NLADA) Exemplar Awards honored members of the corporate counsel and private law firm communities that demonstrated outstanding leadership, vision, dedication and achievement in promoting and supporting equal justice in 2023. Each Exemplar honoree made invaluable commitments and contributions to pro bono and public service, and supported NLADA’s work to provide equal access to justice for all. Also presented were the Kutak-Dodds Prizes and Beacon of Justice Awards. To view this year’s Program Book please click HERE.
Exemplar Awards
The National Legal Aid & Defender Association (NLADA) Exemplar Award annually honors members of the corporate counsel or private law firm communities who have demonstrated outstanding leadership, vision, dedication and achievement in promoting and supporting equal justice. Each Exemplar honoree has made invaluable commitments and contributions to pro bono and public service and supported NLADA’s work to provide equal access to justice for all. Click HERE to see all past Exemplar awardees.
Congratulations to the 2024 Exemplar Award Honoree David Zapolsky, SVP of Global Public Policy and General Counsel at Amazon. Zapolsky is an active member of NLADA’s Corporate Advisory Committee and is being honored for his extraordinary leadership in promoting access to justice and racial equity in the legal profession. For more information click HERE and to watch David’s Exemplar presentation, click HERE.
Kutak-Dodds Prizes
Each year NLADA and the Robert J. Kutak Foundation jointly award the Kutak-Dodds Prizes to honor the accomplishments of one civil legal aid attorney and one public defender. These attorneys, through the practice of law, are reinforcing the principle and reality of justice for all under the law. Each prize carries a cash award of $10,000. The winners were recognized on June 6th at NLADA’s annual Exemplar Awards Gala in Washington, DC. Meet our 2024 Kutak-Dodds Prize Honorees. Click HERE to watch this year’s awards presentation and remarks.
Beacon of Justice Awards
NLADA’s Beacon of Justice Awards honor members of the pro bono legal community who are tireless advocates for equal justice. The 2024 Beacon of Justice Awards feature law firms addressing issues related to Civil & Human Rights. Click HERE to watch the Beacon of Justice Awards presentation at the Gala and click HERE to watch the full production of awardees’ winning projects.
To read the 2024 Beacon of Justice digital book featuring the pro bono projects all 40 of this year’s winners, please click HERE.
The 2024 Beacon Award honorees include Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP, Arnold & Porter LLP, BakerHostetler LLP, Baker McKenzie, Beveridge & Diamond PC, Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP, Crowell & Moring LLP, Dechert LLP, Dentons US LLP, DLA Piper LLP (US), Dorsey & Whitney LLP, Fried Frank LLP, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP, Hanson Bridgett LLP, Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP, Husch Blackwell, Jackson Lewis PC, Jenner & Block LLP, King & Spalding LLP, Kirkland & Ellis LLP, Latham & Watkins LLP, Lowenstein Sandler LLP, McDermott Will & Emery LLP, Mintz Levin Cohn Ferris Glovsky and Popeo P.C., Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP, Nixon Peabody LLP, Paul Hastings LLP, Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP, Reed Smith LLP, Shook Hardy & Bacon LLP, Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom LLP, Squire Patton Boggs (US) LLP, Steptoe LLP, Stinson LLP, Troutman Pepper LLP, Wiley Rein LLP, WilmerHale, Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, Yetter Coleman LLP, and Zuckerman Spaeder LLP.
Sponsorships
NLADA would like to thank the generous sponsors of the 2024 Exemplar Gala. For information and sponsorship opportunities for the 2025 Exemplar Award Gala, please contact Aileen Moffatt at [email protected]. Click Here for a current list of sponsors who help make the Gala possible.
Art Auction
A highlight of the Exemplar Awards Gala each year is the Art Auction. All pieces are generously donated by artists from around the country, many of whom are local to DC, alongside artwork from incarcerated artists. Funds raised from the auction directly support NLADA’s mission of expanding access to counsel and safeguarding justice for all. In its 6th year, the auction features artwork ranging from pastels, to oil paints, prints, and more.
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