The Kimberly M. Cahill Award is presented to a recognized local or affinity bar association, program, or leader for excellence in promoting the ideal of professionalism or equal justice for all, or in responding to a compelling legal need within the community during the past year or on an ongoing basis. With the 2014 Cahill Award, the State Bar recognizes the collaboration of McNeill, as president of the Federal Bar Association, Eastern District of Michigan Chapter, with the Court’s Pro Bono Committee (chaired by the Hon. Denise Page Hood) and leaders of forty-five firms and eight bar associations. McNeill and the leadership group envisioned, designed and implemented the Eastern District of Michigan Pro Bono Council, which has committed to handling 150 cases per year for indigent civil litigants with matters before the federal court.

McNeill is a trial lawyer resident in the firm’s Detroit office. In addition to his class action defense work, he focuses his practice on business and financial litigation representing Fortune 500 companies, closely held business enterprises and entrepreneurs in the areas of business torts, securities, mergers & acquisitions, accounting, private equity and financial institutions. He is recognized as a leader in the field by: Chambers USA; Benchmark: Litigation; Michigan Super Lawyers (Top 100 in the State and in Business Litigation); and Best Lawyers in America (four litigation disciplines, and Detroit area 2013-2014 Lawyer of the Year in Mergers & Acquisitions litigation and 2014-15 Lawyer of the Year in Securities Litigation). By appointment of  Gov. Rick Snyder, McNeill serves on the State Appellate Defender Commission; he serves as president of the Detroit Metropolitan Bar Association Inn of Court and is the immediate past president of the Federal Bar Association, Eastern District of Michigan Chapter. He received his B.A. from the University of Notre Dame and his J.D. from the University of Virginia.

The 2014 Cahill Award will be conferred upon McNeill during the State Bar of Michigan Annual Meeting Awards Banquet on Sept. 17 at the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel in Grand Rapids.

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