ABA to honor two attorneys, community law office at event celebrating government law efforts
The American Bar Association Section of State and Local Government Law will present three awards at next month’s ABA Annual Meeting in San Francisco to two individuals and a community law office that have demonstrated a commitment to state and local government law.
Recipients of the 2019 Jefferson B. Fordham Awards are:
• Frank Schnidman, who will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award;
• C. Elisia Frazier, who will receive the Advocacy Award;
• Knox County Public Defender’s Community Law Office, which will receive the Law Office Accomplishment Award.
Paul Henderson, executive director of the Department of Police Accountability in San Francisco, will be the keynote speaker at the award luncheon on Friday, Aug. 9, at the E&O Kitchen & Bar from Noon-2 p.m. Henderson was named California’s Lawyer of the Year by the California Association of Black Lawyers and is the on-air legal analyst for CBS News.
“Each of these honorees, in their own way, has advanced the practice of state and local government law for the benefit of the communities in which they serve,” said Ronald Kramer, chair of the Section of State and Local Government Law. “They are role models for all state and local government law practitioners.”
The Jefferson B. Fordham Awards are the highest honors given by the ABA Section of State and Local Government Law since 1998. The awards honor the accomplishments of those who have been active in the various areas of state and local government law. The award is named for the section’s first chair in 1949. Fordham diligently served and made the section the national resource for the advancement of State and Local Government Law practice.
The Jefferson B. Fordham awardees are:
Lifetime Achievement Award (Jefferson B. Fordham, Daniel J. Curtin, Jr. Lifetime Achievement Award) is presented in recognition of outstanding contributions to the practice of state and local government law by an individual over an entire career, for contributions over several years of service.
Schnidman is a former distinguished professor of Urban and Regional Planning, and former John M. DeGrove Eminent Scholar chair, Florida Atlantic University. He practiced law with the international law firm of Greenberg Traurig after serving as director of the University of Miami School of Law Graduate Program in Real Property Development. Schnidman is also the author and co-author of the two-volume, “Handling the Land Use Case,” which was first published in 1984 and is in its 3rd edition His career began in the late 1960’s through the Neighborhood Legal Services and President Lyndon Johnson’s “Great Society” Model Cities Program. Schnidman wrote the amicus brief in the case for John Norquist, President of the Congress for New Urbanism, cited by Justice John Paul Stevens in the Court’s majority opinion. He has held global leadership positions and was a charter member of the Urban Land Institute Japan Council. He received his JD degree in 1973 from Albany Law School and a Master of Laws (LL. M.) degree in Environmental Law in 1975 from George Washington University Law School. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Springfield College.
Advocacy Award is presented in recognition of outstanding legal advocacy within the area of state and local government law, this award celebrates excellence in advocacy, both written and otherwise.
Frazier is the managing deputy city attorney in the City of Atlanta Law Department. She previously owned her own law firm and serviced individual clients, small legal departments, small businesses, and local governments, including serving as the chief of staff to a CEO of a large metropolitan county. Frazier also served as vice president and associate general counsel to Kaplan Higher Education, senior counsel to International Paper Company and senior counsel, securities transactions to Lincoln National Corporation. Frazier also provided pro bono legal services to low income people and nonprofit organizations through the Georgia Legal Services office, the Georgia Truancy Project and Memphis Area Legal Services. Frazier received her JD degree from Howard University School of Law, and a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration and Marketing from Georgia State University.
Law Office Accomplishment Award is presented in recognition of sustained outstanding performance or a specific extraordinary accomplishment by a State and Local Government Law Office. Eligible candidates include all State and Local Government Public Sector Law Offices, including departments or units within such offices.
Knox County Public Defender’s Community Law Office is a leader in its commitment to social work services. In 2003 on the 40th anniversary of Gideon v. Wainwright, this office became “holistic” by addressing clients’ legal and psychosocial needs it assists clients in achieving maximum self-sufficiency and avoiding future criminal behavior. The model seeks justice for the client, while working to reduce recidivism and empower them to become productive members of the community. Amongst its services are housing assistance, mental health assistance, substance abuse assistance and the opportunity to get a driver’s license.
ABA to honor Sidley Austin LLP with its Champions for Disability Inclusion award
The American Bar Association will honor Sidley Austin LLP with its Champions for Disability Inclusion in the Legal Profession Award. The ABA Commission on Disability Rights selected Sidley for its commitment to, and leadership in, building a culture that is welcoming and inclusive and provides opportunities for lawyers and law students with disabilities.
The Champions Award recognizes a law firm or corporation that has made measurable progress in the recruitment, hiring, retention, and advancement to leadership positions of individuals with disabilities. The award will be presented at the Commission’s Reception for Lawyers with Disabilities during the 2019 ABA Annual Meeting in San Francisco. The reception will be Monday, Aug. 12, from 5:30-6:30 p.m. at the San Francisco Marriott Marquis, Nob Hill, Lower B2 level.
Building relationships with affinity groups has resulted in the recruitment of more students with disabilities to Sidley’s summer associate program. In 2018, 17 Sidley associates self-identified as having a disability. These associates are enrolled in the firm’s Diversity Mentoring Program, which pairs all diverse associates with leading partners in their practice, with the goals of building skills, developing strong relationships with partners and clients, and fully integrating into their practice groups.
Sidley’s work has been driven by the launch in 2017 of the Disability Diversity Alliance, the firm’s disability inclusion initiative. The Alliance is a network of over 90 lawyers with disabilities and those interested in disability-related matters who make recommendations on how to improve firm culture, practices, and services for people with disabilities. The firm continues its efforts to ensure that its website complies with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines and that its offices are physically accessible. In 2018, the Alliance launched an ongoing campaign of internal communications, discussing the benefits and value of self-disclosure of disabilities, explaining the processes for seeking accommodations, and expressing the firm’s embrace of all lawyers.
Sidley’s Prelaw Scholars Program is open and accessible to college students with disabilities. The program helps financially-challenged, diverse students navigate and fund the LSAT and law school admissions processes and prepares them for their first year of law school. The firm’s 1L Diversity Mentorship program provides information about the legal market and on-campus interviewing, offers resume reviews, and holds mock interviews for about 100 rising second-year law students.
ABA to honor Matthew W. Dietz with award for disability rights
The American Bar Association will honor Matthew W. Dietz, founding member and current litigation director for Disability Independence Group, Inc., in Miami, with its Paul G. Hearne Award for Disability Rights.
The ABA Commission on Disability Rights selected Dietz for his leadership and advocacy in both fostering the inclusion of lawyers with disabilities in the legal profession, and ensuring that persons with disabilities are not discriminated against on the basis of their disabilities and have full and equal access to all aspects of society including education, healthcare, housing, justice system and employment.
Created in 1999, the award honors the work of Paul G. Hearne, a lawyer with congenital connective tissue disorder who was a leader in the disability rights movement. The award will be presented at the commission’s Reception for Lawyers with Disabilities during the 2019 ABA Annual Meeting in San Francisco.
A civil rights litigator with a focus on disability rights since 1998, Dietz has handled hundreds of cases throughout his career. He co-founded Disability Independence Group (DIG) in 2002 to promote recognition and recruitment of persons with disabilities in the legal profession. He advocated for disability to be included in the Florida Bar’s definition of “diversity,” and organized a survey and focus groups of attorneys to increase the bar’s inclusiveness regarding lawyers with disabilities.
In 2014, DIG expanded its efforts beyond the legal profession. The lessons learned through litigation to ensure equal access for persons with disabilities are used in a holistic approach to develop educational tools for them on their legal rights. The tools, which empower persons with disabilities to become self-advocates, include a video series on the right to fair housing for deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals, a training manual for law enforcement on interacting with persons with disabilities and a webinar series that addresses the intersection of domestic violence, sexual assault and disability, among others.
“Matthew’s tireless efforts to ensure that persons with disabilities are recognized, welcomed and included in the legal profession, and have full and equal access to all that society has to offer exemplifies the values espoused by Paul Hearne,” said Robert T. Gonzales, chair of the Commission on Disability Rights. “Matthew’s pioneering work has empowered and benefited countless individuals with disabilities, and will continue to do so in the future. Our profession owes a tremendous debt of gratitude to Matthew for all that he has accomplished.”
