DLA Piper receives 2021 Beacon of Justice Award from National Legal Aid & Defender Association

DLA Piper is pleased to announce that the firm has received a 2021 Beacon of Justice Award from the National Legal Aid & Defender Association (NLADA).

This year’s Beacon of Justice Award honors law firms whose pro bono legal work addressed systemic racial disparities in 2020, ranging from “civil rights and special relief motions related to COVID that have racial significance, to advocates raising their voices and committing resources, to untangling systems that are inherently unjust.”

DLA Piper was recognized for its racial justice work, including its significant efforts through the Compassionate Release Clearinghouse to assist incarcerated people with serious medical conditions during the COVID-19 pandemic. This work advances racial justice due to the disproportionate minority representation in the criminal justice system and the disparate impact of the pandemic on communities of color.

“We are proud of our efforts to advance racial justice through our compassionate release pro bono work,” said Lisa Dewey, pro bono partner and director of New Perimeter, DLA Piper's nonprofit affiliate that provides long-term pro bono legal assistance in under-served regions around the world. “Assisting elderly, terminally ill, high-risk prisoners by providing them with representation and advocacy, and ultimately helping many of them obtain compassionate release, is rewarding and crucial work, and we look forward to continuing to help these vulnerable individuals.”