Pennsylvania Rep. Fattah to Speak at National Legal Services Corporation Event Celebrating Pro Bono
WASHINGTON — In recognition of extraordinary commitment to equal justice, the Legal Services Corporation (LSC) Board of Directors will present its Pro Bono Service Award to five attorneys; the Pittsburgh Pro Bono Partnership; the firm of Rieders, Travis, Humphrey, Harris, Waters & Waffenschmidt; and the Westmoreland Bar Foundation on Monday, October 21. The awards ceremony will take place at 5:30 p.m. at the offices of K&L Gates, 210 Sixth Ave. in Pittsburgh.
Speakers at the event will include Pennsylvania Congressman Chaka Fattah, Pennsylvania Bar Association President Forest N. Myers, and LSC Board Chairman John G. Levi.
Recipients of the Pro Bono Service Award are:
Mary R. Bates -- Founder of The Legal Clinic at City Mission, a homeless shelter and rehabilitation center in Washington, Pa., and the organization’s chief legal officer.
Ronald R. Bolig – President of the Legal Aid of Southeastern Pennsylvania Board of Directors. In private practice with Robert A. Lechowicz Law Offices, he has provided pro bono assistance to low-income Pennsylvanians for more than 30 years.
James P. DeAngelo – Member of McNees Wallace & Nurick LLC, Dauphin County Bar Association Public Service Committee chair, president of the Community Justice Project, and member of the board of directors of MidPenn Legal Services and Pennsylvania Legal Aid Network.
Gregory L. Heidt – Solo practitioner in Erie who has participated in Northwestern Legal Services’ Volunteer Attorney project since its inception in 1982, and also accepts cases through the Erie County Bar Association.
Joseph A. Sullivan – Special counsel and director of pro bono programs at Pepper Hamilton LLP, co-chairs the Philadelphia Bar Association’s Chancellor’s Task Force on Civil Gideon, and its Delivery of Legal Services Committee.
Pittsburgh Pro Bono Partnership – Established in 2001, the Partnership works with Neighborhood Legal Services Association and the Allegheny County Bar Foundation to increase access to justice by providing pro bono legal services to low-income Pennsylvanians. Its 35 members include law firms, and corporate and government legal departments.
Rieders, Travis, Humphrey, Harris, Waters & Waffenschmidt – Recipient of the Lycoming Law Association’s Outstanding Law Firm Achievement Award, which recognizes exemplary commitment to equal justice for the poor as demonstrated by a 100 percent participation in the Lycoming County Pro Bono Referral Program, for 25 of the 26 years that it has been given.
Westmoreland Bar Foundation – Has provided legal assistance to low-income Pennsylvanians for 22 years, typically handling more than 200 pro bono cases annually, plus an additional 300 cases through reduced fee and judicare programs.