BOSTON, September 11, 2008 – At its annual event honoring lawyers for their extraordinary work in representing low-income clients on a pro bono basis, the Boston Bar Association (BBA) named Goodwin Procter LLP, recipient of the prestigious Thurgood Marshall Pro Bono Award.
“The Thurgood Marshall Award honors individuals and firms whose commitment to representing those in need never waivers; Goodwin Procter has consistently proven to the Boston Bar Association that they are one of those firms,” said Richard M. Page, Jr., Executive Director of the BBA. “Goodwin Procter’s generosity and belief in justice for all is apparent through the firm’s dedication to tackling the serious issue of wrongful criminal convictions, through its work with New England Innocence Project.”
The New England Innocence Project is a charitable organization dedicated to identifying, investigating and exonerating wrongfully convicted individuals, through the use of DNA evidence and pro bono attorneys. Goodwin Procter’s involvement with the New England Innocence Project, began when Goodwin Procter partner Joseph F. Savage, Jr. founded the organization in 2000. Since then, the firm’s support and dedication to the NEIP has contributed to the exoneration of wrongly convicted individuals and legal reform to hasten the identification and release of innocent prisoners . Through the New England Innocence Project and similar groups nationwide, 220 wrongly convicted individuals have been exonerated after DNA evidence established they were innocent of the crimes for which they had been convicted and imprisoned.
Savage, chair of the New England Innocence Project, accepted the award on behalf of the firm at the BBA’s Annual Meeting Luncheon, held September 11 at the Seaport Hotel in Boston.
“As lawyers, we have a unique position – a position that allows us to seek justice and effect change for the benefit of others. Not only is this a responsibility of our profession; it is a privilege,” said Savage. “I have been privileged these past eight years to serve as Chairman of the Board of the New England Innocence Project. Our work for the New England Innocence Project is one example of the over 400 diverse and dynamic pro bono clients we serve at Goodwin Procter.”
Goodwin Procter is committed to numerous pro bono projects throughout the Boston area and nationwide. The firm consistently devotes considerable firm resources to a variety of projects; 400 new and existing pro bono clients were served within the past year.
About Goodwin Procter
Goodwin Procter LLP is one of the nation’s leading law firms with more than 850 attorneys in offices in Boston, Los Angeles, New York, San Diego, San Francisco, Silicon Valley, and Washington, D.C. The firm’s core areas of practice are corporate, litigation and real estate, with specialized areas of focus that include financial services, private equity, technology, REITs and real estate capital markets, intellectual property, tax and products liability. Information may be found at www.goodwinprocter.com.