News

11 Oct 2006

DLA Piper attorney McCrimmon wins California's Bar Association's Pro Bono Service Award for 2006

Award granted for McCrimmon's role in the prosecution of Argentine Lieutenant for crimes against humanity

Press Release

(SAN FRANCISCO) - DLA Piper US LLP today announced that Deborah McCrimmon, an associate in the firm's San Francisco office, has won the State Bar of California's 2006 President's Pro Bono Service Award in the Large Law Firm category.  McCrimmon was presented the award for her role in the prosecution and conviction of a member of the Argentine military for crimes against humanity committed during the Argentine dictatorship.

The State Bar of Governors established the President's Pro Bono Service Awards to provide statewide recognition to attorneys in California for outstanding provision of pro bono legal services. Nominees are considered for the awards based on the breadth and impact of their pro bono work, the nature of the pro bono program for which the work is done, the evidence of their commitment to pro bono work, and the type of services contributed. The award was presented to McCrimmon on October 6th at the State Bar of California's Annual Meeting in Monterey, CA.

"We're extremely proud of Deborah's commitment to pro bono service to human rights organizations - and to her success in helping secure the only conviction by a domestic court of a foreign perpetrator of crimes against humanity," said David Gross, Managing Partner of the firm's San Francisco office.  "Her contribution is a shining example of the type of dedication our attorneys have brought to their pro bono commitments."

New Perimeter, a nonprofit subsidiary of DLA Piper is dedicated exclusively to international pro bono work. The initiative invites lawyers from across the firm's global network to provide legal support for projects of global concern, including human rights, health care, hunger, law reform, housing and economic development.

New Perimeter has launched several initiatives since the start of its program in 2005. In its initial project, the organization provided support to The Global Fund, which fights AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria in some of the world's poorest countries.  New Perimeter also assists the UN Peacekeeping Mission in Kosovo by assisting in the development of a civil and criminal legal system for that country.  The organization is currently committed to work for the Southern Africa Litigation Centre (SALS), Global FoodBanking Network and CHF International.

Through the support of the firm's initiative, McCrimmon had the opportunity to play an instrumental role in the successful prosecution by the Spanish courts of Argentine Lieutenant Adolfo Scilingo.  Scilingo was prosecuted for genocide, crimes against humanity and terrorism committed against Spanish nationals in Argentina during the Argentine dictatorship of 1976 to 1983.  He was later convicted of crimes against humanity and terrorism.

According to human rights non-profit organization Equipo Nizkor, which was heavily involved in the case and with whom McCrimmon collaborated, during the dictatorship, the Argentine military attempted to "purge" the country of all individuals they considered to be "subversives." An estimated 30,000 people died at the hands of the military in more than 340 concentration camps throughout Argentina. 

McCrimmon's involvement in the Scilingo case began in 2003 when she was recruited by Equipo Nizkor to assist with Scilingo's prosecution in Madrid. McCrimmon was responsible for reviewing evidence collected by the investigating judge to prepare the final pre-trial brief. 

In January 2005, McCrimmon spent six weeks working with the Nizkor Team preparing strategy meetings, summarizing current jurisprudence on command responsibility arising out of International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia and the concept of due obedience in international law, and explaining these concepts to the prosecuting attorneys Nizkor supported. She also reviewed and prepared a summary of Scilingo's prior confessions that were wholly inconsistent with the testimony he gave at trial. Nizkor presented this analysis to the court, and the judges incorporated this summary into their final opinion.

The Nizkor team, including McCrimmon, was the only team to present the argument that Scilingo's actions constituted crimes against humanity, not genocide.  This was the charge on which Scilingo was ultimately convicted.

The case marked the first time in world history in which a domestic court successfully applied principles of international criminal jurisdiction and crimes against humanity. Scilingo is currently serving a 640-year prison term in Spain.  Scilingo is now the only official convicted in a domestic court outside of Argentina for crimes committed by the Argentine military during the dictatorship.

With DLA Piper, McCrimmon works with the litigation, securities litigation and antitrust practice groups. She also continues to work with various nonprofit organizations in the Bay Area and on various pro bono projects.

McCrimmon received a B.A. from University of California Davis and a J.D. from University of California, Hastings College of The Law.

About New Perimeter
New Perimeter, a nonprofit subsidiary of DLA Piper is dedicated exclusively to international pro bono work. The initiative is first of its kind in the US legal industry, and invites lawyers from across the firm's global network to provide legal support for projects of global concern, including health care, hunger, law reform, human rights, housing and economic development. For 2006 DLA Piper has committed 13,000 attorney hours to New Perimeter initiatives, which has an approximate value of more than $6 million of billable time.
 
About DLA Piper
DLA Piper has 3,200 lawyers and 62 offices in 24 countries throughout the U.S., U.K., Continental Europe, Middle East and Asia. It has leading practices in commercial, corporate and finance, human resources, litigation, real estate, regulatory and legislative, and technology, media and communications.

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CONTACTS:
Deborah McCrimmon, Associate, San Francisco, DLA Piper, 415.836.2526
David Gross, Managing Partner, San Francisco, DLA Piper, 415.836.2562
Renee Glover Chantler, Pro Bono Manager, DLA Piper 650.833.2041
Dan Cahill, Media Relations, GreenTarget Global Group, 415.552.3999