Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi L.L.P. has been selected to receive the 2010 Beacon of Justice Award from the National Legal Aid & Defender Association (NLADA). The firm is among 34 law firms across the country to receive this honor for their significant contributions to pro bono representation in the area of immigration law. The award will be presented at the NLADA Exemplar Award Dinner on October 6 in Washington, D.C. Also at this event, Justice John Paul Stevens, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, will be presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award in honor of his dedication to justice for all Americans and championing civil rights issues. After more than 34 years, Justice Stevens retired as the third-longest serving justice in the Court's history.
The NLADA states, "To balance the scales of justice, 34 law firms from across the country have set the bar high with their commitment to pro bono work to ensure that vulnerable people caught in the web of complex immigration laws, policies and detention, are treated fairly and humanely and that their course to a legal presence in the United States is just. These firms are leaders in the creation of innovative models that attack systemic injustices on myriad fronts."
Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi L.L.P. plays an important role in helping those without access to proper legal representation. In 2009, over 7% of our total attorney billable time was devoted to pro bono and The American Lawyer recently ranked the firm No. 6 in the nation in its 2009 Pro Bono Survey.
According to its Web site, the NLADA is the nation's leading advocate for front-line attorneys and other equal justice professionals-those who make a difference in the lives of low-income clients and their families and communities. Representing legal aid and defender programs, as well as individual advocates, NLADA is proud to be the oldest and largest national, nonprofit membership association devoting 100 percent of its resources to serving the broad equal justice community.