WASHINGTON —The National Legal Aid & Defender Association (NLADA) is pleased to announce that Ben Weinberg, the Pro Bono Partner at Dentons, will be honored with the 2025 NLADA Exemplar Award.
“The Exemplar Award is one of NLADA’s highest honors, and we are thrilled to present it to Ben," said NLADA President & CEO April Frazier Camara. “His courageous work makes him a
great representation of our mission to advance equal access to justice, and a pillar of standing up for what’s right.
“Ben’s efforts both in managing the substantial pro bono programs at Dentons and working as an advocate for pro bono work at firms across the country are a shining example of championing the rights of the less fortunate. We are honored to present him with the NLADA Exemplar Award.”
As Dentons’ pro bono partner, Ben develops and supports partnerships with legal aid providers, clients, nonprofits and NGOs. Ben’s most prominent success has been his development and leadership of the Domestic Violence Appeals Project, operated with Legal Aid Chicago. Since 2013, the project has won 19 of 21 appeals, including four published opinions, and has improved access to justice for domestic violence survivors throughout Illinois.
“I am thrilled and grateful for this recognition,” said Ben. “I started my career as a civil legal aid lawyer and in my almost 20 years as pro bono partner at Dentons, I have learned that legal services organizations are absolutely indispensable for law firm pro bono practices to provide access to justice in underserved communities. Thank you to NLADA for its leadership and dedication to this cause.”
Ben began his career at Legal Aid Chicago and later was a litigation partner at Jenner & Block and chief of the Illinois Attorney General’s Public Interest Division. He also served as a law clerk to Judge William J. Bauer of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. Ben is a founder and board secretary of the Law Firm Antiracism Alliance, as well as a former president of the Association of Pro Bono Counsel. He serves on the PILnet Pro Bono Leadership Council and as adjunct faculty at Northwestern Law School.
The 2025 award will be presented at the organization’s annual Exemplar Awards Gala on Wednesday, September 24, in Washington, D.C.
For more information about our Exemplar Award Gala please reach out to Rabiah Alicia Burks, Vice President of Communications, by email at [email protected].
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The National Legal Aid & Defender Association (NLADA), founded in 1911, is America’s oldest and largest nonprofit association devoted to excellence in the delivery of legal services to those who cannot afford counsel. NLADA has pioneered access to justice at the national, state and local levels, playing a leadership role in the creation of public defender systems and other important institutions from The Sentencing Project to the Legal Services Corporation. A leader in the development of national standards for civil legal aid and public defense, NLADA also provides advocacy, training and technical assistance for equal justice advocates across the country.
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