WASHINGTON, DC, October 21, 2008 — The National Legal Aid & Defender Association (NLADA) is pleased to announce that it will honor four equal justice heroes at the NLADA 2008 Annual Conference Awards Luncheon on Friday, November 21 at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel in Washington, DC. The awards to be presented include the Reginald Heber Smith Award, the Denison Ray Award, Arthur von Breisen Award and the Pierce-Hickerson Award.

Reginald Heber Smith Award The 2008 recipient of the Reginald Heber Smith Award is Michael P. Judge, chief public defender for Los Angeles County. The Reginald Heber Smith Award recognizes the dedicated service and outstanding achievements of a civil legal aid attorney or indigent defense attorney while employed by an organization supporting such services. The “Reggie” is named for a former counsel at the Boston Legal Aid Society and the author of Justice and the Poor, published by the Carnegie Foundation in 1919. With responsibility for 40 offices with more than 700 lawyers, Judge serves as the primary legal advisor for low-income people in Los Angeles who are charged with a crime. Appointed chief public defender in 1994, his career with the public defender’s office has spanned more than 30 years. Judge’s progressive approach to public defense includes embracing programs and initiatives that are holistic in their approach. He has provided consistent leadership in bringing people together to craft creative solutions that address root issues with an appreciation of the developmental, educational, psychological and sociological history of each individual represented. He is the recipient of numerous local, state and national awards and has been active in various legal committees, boards and organizations.

Arthur von Briesen Award Andrew F. Susko has been named the winner of the 2008 Arthur von Briesen Award. This award honors a private attorney who has made substantial volunteer contributions in support of the delivery of civil legal aid or indigent defense representation. The award celebrates the achievements of the first president of NLADA. Susko, a partner with the Philadelphia law firm of White and Williams, LLP, has given countless hours as an advocate, leader and volunteer for providing legal help to low-income individuals. He has worked hundreds of hours as a pro bono attorney for indigent clients, including several whose rights could have easily been ebbed by their mental and physical disabilities. As president-elect and later president of the Pennsylvania Bar Association (PBA), he led the PBA in improving legal access for the poor, including the passage of resolutions creating a pro bono standard for attorneys and pushing the state’s legislature to increase funding for legal aid.

Denison Ray Award The 2008 Denison Ray Award recipient is Wilhelm H. Joseph Jr. This award, given biennially, honors an individual who has provided exceptional service to the legal aid community as a staff member, client board member or volunteer of a provider program. The “Denny” is named for a career legal aid activist who served as executive director of legal services programs in Missouri, Maine, North Carolina and New York and was a long-time leader of the Project Advisory Group.

Joseph, who has served as the executive director of the Legal Aid Bureau of Maryland since 1996, has had a legendary career in the legal aid field. It was his personal struggles during the civil rights era that led him toward his career in legal aid. While a student, he became the national director for the Law Students Civil Rights Research Council, which gave him national prominence and a broader understanding of the hurdles the equal justice movement faced. During his tenure at the Legal Aid Bureau of Maryland, he has increased the budget from $8 million to $22 million annually, allowing him to reinvigorate their programs, add new goals and serve more clients. Joseph has also served in the forefront in the movement to create a national civil Gideon mandate, which would make it mandatory for legal aid to be provided to individuals whose basic quality of life is threatened.

Pierce Hickerson Award Steven C. Moore is the 2008 winner of the Pierce-Hickerson Award. This award is given in recognition of outstanding contributions to the advancement or preservation of Native American rights. It pays homage to the legacies of Julian Pierce and Robert Hickerson for their outstanding advocacy in pursuit of justice for Native Americans. Pierce was a Lumbee Indian who served as executive director of Lumbee River Legal Services in Pembroke, North Carolina, from 1978 until 1988. Hickerson served as director of Alaska Legal Services Corporation for 20 years, and prior to that was director of the Oklahoma Legal Services Center. Moore is a senior staff attorney for the Native American Rights Fund (NARF), where he has represented Indian tribes in complex litigation involving treaty fishing rights and implied federal Indian reserved water rights. He served as counsel for the Nez Perce Tribe in the Snake River Basin Adjudication in Idaho. A major settlement of the Nez Perce water rights was enacted by Congress and signed by President Bush in 2004. He also represents the Tule River Tribe of California in its water rights settlement and the Kickapoo Tribe in Kansas in water litigation and settlement negotiations. His other work at NARF includes the protection of sacred lands, the repatriation of human remains and the protection of unmarked Native graves, the religious use of peyote by members of the Native American Church and the religious rights of Native prisoners. Prior to joining NARF, he represented tribes and individual Indians in northern Idaho as an attorney for Idaho Legal Aid Services, Inc. and represented the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of Montana.

“The selfless commitment of each of these individuals has advanced justice for countless people,” said NLADA President & CEO Jo-Ann Wallace. “Their passionate commitment, zealous advocacy and visionary leadership represent the finest tradition of the equal justice community.”

For more information on NLADA awards, visit www.nlada.org/About

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The National Legal Aid & Defender Association (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. Founded in 1911, NLADA is the oldest and largest national, nonprofit membership organization devoting all of its resources to advocating equal access to justice for all Americans.