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MSBA Seeking Nominations for P. Kenneth Kohnstamm Pro Bono Attorney Award of Excellence
The Minnesota State Bar Association - Public Law Section (PLS) invites nominations for awards honoring attorneys and judges engaged in public service and in the public practice of law. Through these awards the PLS celebrates our commitment to public service and the public practice of law. These awards are also used to recognize attorneys and judges who have distinguished themselves by their significant and outstanding contributions to public service and the public practice of law. Nominations are due April 3, 2015. Please contact the chair of the Awards Committee or any executive council member of the PLS for further information about the awards. A nominee does not need to be a member of the Minnesota State Bar Association to be eligible for an award.
P. Kenneth Kohnstamm Pro Bono Attorney Award of Excellence
This award is intended to recognize an outstanding public attorney (or public law office) who has engaged in activities that show dedication and commitment to provide volunteer services to underserved communities. The award is named after P. Kenneth Kohnstamm, the first recipient of the award in 2006. Mr. Kohnstamm exemplified the principles set out in professional responsibility Rule 6.1 by providing legal services without fee to those unable to pay and voluntarily contributing financial support to organizations that provide legal services to persons of limited means. PLS’s own model pro bono policy for public lawyers is based on the work Mr. Kohnstamm spearheaded at the Attorney General’s Office. With the Pro Bono Attorney Award of Excellence, we seek to honor attorneys who exemplify the principles of professional conduct rule 6.1.
Rule 6.1 of the Minnesota Rules of Professional Conduct provides in part that:
Every lawyer has a professional responsibility to provide legal services to those unable to pay. A lawyer should aspire to render at least 50 hours of pro bono publico legal services per year. In fulfilling this responsibility, the lawyer should: (a) provide a substantial majority of the 50 hours of legal services without fee or expectation of fee.
In addition, a lawyer should voluntarily contribute financial support to organizations that provide legal services to persons of limited means.
In addition, the Minnesota State Bar Association has adopted Professional Aspiration standards which encourage attorneys to provide at least fifty (50) hours of pro bono legal services per year. The American Bar Association has adopted a similar standard.
A nomination should consist of the following:
1) Nominee’s full name, employer, address and telephone number;
2) Nominator’s name, employer, address and telephone number;
3) Attach a short narrative statement (not to exceed two pages) explaining how you know the nominee and describing the nominee’s qualifications for the award; and
4) Nominee’s resume, if available.
Nominations must be submitted no later than
April 3, 2015. Please submit nominations to Jennifer Brask via email, fax or mail (email with attachments in MSWord preferred).
Jennifer Brask
MSBA - Public Law Section liaison
600 Nicollet Mall, Suite 380
Minneapolis, MN 55402
Phone: 612-278-6305
Fax: 612-333-4927
Email:
jbrask@mnbar.org
Pro Bono News
- Attorneys of the Year: Julie Firestone & Daniel J. Supalla: Minnesota Lawyer
- [California] State Bar Considers Requiring All Law Students to Do Free Legal Work: LA Times
- MSBA Volunteer Opportunities: MSBA
- Civil Legal Assistance Is a Potent Anti-poverty Tool: Huffington Post
Click here for more Pro Bono News
