WASHINGTON, DC, April 22, 2003 - The National Legal Aid & Defender Association (NLADA) is pleased to announce that Frank S. Moseley, partner, of Davis Polk & Wardwell and José de Lasa, senior vice president, secretary and general counsel, of Abbott Laboratories are this year's recipients of the 2003 National Exemplar Awards. Moseley and de Lasa will receive their awards at the NLADA Exemplar Awards Dinner in Washington, DC, on June 12.

Each year, NLADA honors one or more members of the private bar or corporate community who have demonstrated outstanding leadership in promoting and supporting equal justice. With the theme of "Upholding the Promise of Justice," this year's Exemplar Awards Dinner commemorates the 40th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Gideon v. Wainwright - the landmark case which established the constitutional right to counsel for people facing criminal charges who cannot afford to hire a lawyer.

"NLADA is proud to recognize those within the equal justice community who work tirelessly to advance justice for all," said Clint Lyons, NLADA president and CEO. "Through Frank Moseley and José de Lasa, we see the spirit of Gideon upheld - these men serve as beacons to the entire equal justice community through their work to level the field for all."

Frank S. Moseley, a senior trial lawyer at Davis Polk & Wardwell, specializes in securities cases, intra-industry arbitrations and commercial contract litigation. In New York County Lawyers' Association v. The State of New York, Moseley led a team of lawyers, pro bono, in challenging the constitutionality of the statutory rates of compensation paid to assigned private counsel who represent children and indigent adults in family and criminal court proceedings in New York. Prior to the suit, assigned lawyers in New York were paid $25 per hour out of court and $40 per hour in court, the lowest set by law anywhere in the country. In February this year, New York State Supreme Court Justice granted a permanent injunction and ordered the state and city to raise the assigned counsel fees to $90 an hour across the board, citing that a failure to increase the rates violates the constitutional and statutory right to meaningful and effective assistance of counsel. The ramifications of Moseley's victory are being felt nationally, as several jurisdictions are now bringing lawsuits over low assigned counsel fees.

José M. de Lasa oversees the legal department at Abbott Laboratories as the senior vice president, secretary and general counsel. De Lasa serves on the board of directors of the Chicago Children's Museum, the Chicago Council on Foreign Relations, Midtown Educational Foundation, the Resource Foundation, the Stovir Foundation, the American Arbitration Association and the advisory board of the Instituto Cervantes. Since the beginning of his legal career, de Lasa has been a dedicated pro bono volunteer, having served as a full time volunteer attorney in the Bronx office of New York Legal Services. He currently contributes time to help Spanish-speaking clients at Prairie State Legal Services. He has served on NLADA's Corporate Advisory Committee since 2000, advocating the critical role of corporate counsel in enhancing our nation's quest for equal justice. Under his leadership, the Abbott Laboratories' legal department has taken on successful pro bono projects, ranging from immigration to business law, with various Chicago area public interest organizations, including Legal Assistance Foundation of Metropolitan Chicago, Center for Disability and Elder Law, Community Economic Development Law Project, Street Law, Inc. and Midwest Immigrant & Human Rights Center.

For more information on the 2003 Exemplar Awards Dinner, contact Mizue Suito, director of development, at (202) 452-0620 ext. 217 or via e-mail at m.suito@nlada.org.

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The National Legal Aid & Defender Association (NLADA), founded in 1911, is the oldest and largest national, nonprofit membership organization devoting all of its resources to advocating equal access to justice for all Americans. NLADA champions effective legal assistance for people who cannot afford counsel, serves as a collective voice for both civil legal services and public defense services throughout the nation and provides a wide range of services and benefits to its individual and organizational members.