WASHINGTON, DC, May 11, 2005 — The National Legal Aid & Defender Association (NLADA) is pleased to announce that Jeffrey Kindler, vice chairman and general counsel of Pfizer Inc is this year’s recipient of the prestigious 2005 Exemplar Award for his distinguished service to the community and his commitment to pro bono work. Kindler will be honored during the annual Exemplar Awards Dinner on Tuesday, June 7, at the Capital Hilton in Washington, DC.

“Mr. Kindler has been an integral part in shaping the future of corporate counsel’s role in the equal justice community,” said Clint Lyons, NLADA president and CEO. “Leading the Pfizer Legal Division, Kindler was the first to establish a corporate law office with a full-time pro bono staff attorney position, setting the bar nationally for the rest of corporate America. I’m delighted to honor Mr. Kindler with this prestigious award, as he exemplifies the very best in vision, forward-thinking and leadership.”

Along with the chairman and CEO and fellow vice chairmen, Kindler serves on Pfizer’s four-person Executive Committee, which is the governing management team of the company. In his capacity as vice chairman, Kindler leads his colleagues in legal affairs, corporate communications, government relations, philanthropy, policy development and analysis, corporate citizenship and information resources.

He serves on the boards of the Atlantic Legal Foundation, the Brennan Center for Justice, Corporate ProBono.Org, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Institute for Legal Reform, the Legal Aid Society, the Manhattan Theatre Club, the New York Philharmonic, Partnership for New York City and Transparency International. Kindler is also a member of the Association of General Counsel, the Civil Justice Reform Group, the Corporate Executive Board General Counsel Roundtable, the Lex Mundi Client Advisory Council, the Mentor Group, the General Counsel Committee of the National Center for State Courts and the RAND ICJ Board of Overseers.

At Pfizer, Kindler has been a strong supporter of the company’s pro bono and diversity initiatives. In March 2005, Kindler accepted two awards from The Legal Aid Society: the Pro Bono Publico and Public Service Corporate Award, recognizing Pfizer for creating the prototype for corporate pro bono, and the first General Counsel Leadership Award in recognition of his leadership and commitment to the provision of pro bono representation for low income New Yorkers. In November 2004, Kindler accepted the Northeast Region Employer of Choice award from the Minority Corporate Counsel Association (MCCA) in recognition of the Pfizer Legal Division’s strong commitment to diversity and to creating an inclusive workplace. In August 2003, he accepted the American Bar Association’s Pro Bono Publico Award in recognition of Pfizer’s innovative in-house pro bono program. This represents just a short list of Kindler’s awards and honors received throughout his career.

Kindler joined Pfizer in January 2002 from McDonald’s Corporation in Chicago, where he was president of Partner Brands (including Boston Market, Chipotle Mexican Grill, and Pret a Manger). He also served as executive vice president, Corporate Relations, and general counsel of McDonald’s. As general counsel of McDonald’s, he established a legal pro bono program that received the Chicago Public Interest Law Initiative Trailblazer Award, the American Bar Association Litigation Section Pro Bono Award, and the Corporate Legal Times/Lexis-Nexis Distinguished Legal Services Award.

While in Chicago, Kindler served as chairman of the board of trustees of the Jane Addams Juvenile Court Foundation, as secretary of Ronald McDonald House Charities, and as a member of the boards of the Ravinia Music Festival and the Chicago Children’s Museum.

Prior to McDonald’s, Kindler served as vice president and senior counsel for litigation and legal policy for the General Electric Company. A former partner at one of Washington, DC’s, leading law firms, Williams & Connolly, Kindler also served as a law clerk to U.S. Supreme Court Justice William J. Brennan, Jr. and to Judge David L. Bazelon of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit. He also worked at the Federal Communications Commission.

For more information, visit the NLADA Web site at www.nlada.org or contact Sara Fusco, assistant director of development, at (202) 452-0620, ext. 232.

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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 people. 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.