Washington, D.C. -The National Legal Aid & Defender Association (NLADA) is proud to announce that Louise Pentland, Chief Legal Officer and Company Secretary of PayPal, will receive the 2016 Exemplar Award, in recognition of her exceptional leadership in advancing the cause of legal representation for those unable to afford counsel. Pentland will receive the award at NLADA’s Exemplar Award Dinner, to be held on Thursday, September 29, at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, D.C.
Louise Pentland brings a broad global understanding of privacy, government relations, and intellectual property to PayPal. In her role as Chief Legal Officer and Company Secretary, she is responsible for ensuring that PayPal complies with financial and regulatory requirements across all global markets. In September 2015, she was named as one of 60 “Women Leaders in Tech Law” by The Recorder.
In March 2016, she was named General Counsel of the Year, in the Public Company Over $1 Billion category at the 2016 Bay Area Corporate Counsel Awards presented by the Silicon Valley Business Journal and the San Francisco Business Times. In May 2016, she played a leading role in launching an international pro bono initiative, in alignment with PayPal’s vision and mission, which includes serving the needs of communities worldwide.
A passionate dedication to public service drives Pentland’s involvement in numerous pro bono activities. She has worked to protect women and children who are victims of domestic violence and she represents unaccompanied children seeking asylum in the United States at the Human Rights Initiative in Dallas. A vocal supporter of diversity in the legal profession, she mentors young women and speaks out regularly to encourage more women to pursue the role of general counsel.
Pentland joins a distinguished list of former honorees, including Rick Cotton, NBC Universal (formerly); Michael Holston, Hewlett-Packard (formerly); Bruce Kuhlik, Merck & Co., Inc. (formerly); Teri Plummer McClure, UPS; John F. Schultz, Hewlett Packard Enterprise; Brad Smith, Microsoft; and Laura Stein, The Clorox Company.
More than 500 advocates for equal justice, including private attorneys, general counsel and public interest lawyers, will come together at the event to pay tribute to those individuals and law firms that have made a critical impact on the lives of innumerable disadvantaged Americans. In addition to honoring Louise Pentland, the former U. S. Attorney General, Eric Holder, will receive the Justice John Paul Stevens Lifetime Achievement Award. Other notable equal justice champions will be honored with the Kutak-Dodds Prizes, which will be awarded to a civil legal aid lawyer and to a public defense attorney, for longstanding and outstanding service in providing legal services to individuals in need.
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The National Legal Aid & Defender Association, founded in 1911, is America’s oldest and largest nonprofit association devoted to excellence in the delivery of legal services to those who cannot afford counsel. NLADA has pioneered access to justice at the national, state and local levels through the creation of public defender systems and other important institutions from The Sentencing Project to the Legal Services Corporation (LSC). A leader in the development of national standards for legal aid and indigent defense, NLADA also provides advocacy, training and technical assistance for equal justice advocates across the country.
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