Greenberg Traurig LLP Receives 2008 Texas Appleseed Pro Bono Service Award

Business Wire, Nov 7, 2008

AUSTIN, Texas -- Texas Appleseed, a public interest law center, recognized international law firm Greenberg Traurig LLP with its 2008 Pro Bono Service Award during its Good Apple Dinner Thursday, Nov. 6, in Austin, Texas.

"Greenberg Traurig has generously donated their time, their talent and their resources time and again to improve the lives of thousand of people they have never met. For instance, their work has helped thousands of victims of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita - and now victims of Hurricane Ike - get the funds they need to stay on their land and rebuild their homes. Texas Appleseed is proud to recognize Greenberg Traurig, LLP with the 2008 Pro Bono Award for their work on behalf of greater justice for all Texans," said Texas Appleseed Executive Director Rebecca Lightsey.

"We are deeply grateful to long-time partner Greenberg Traurig. The firm funded a legal fellowship position at Texas Appleseed, was the force behind blocking the eviction of Hurricane Katrina evacuees in Jefferson Parish, and they are working toward long-term policy changes to ensure fair treatment of future disaster victims," the organization states on its Web site: www.texasappleseed.net.

In 2007, Texas Appleseed also recognized Greenberg Traurig for exceptional pro bono leadership, including work on school discipline and disaster relief.

"Texas Appleseed is a splendid organization, and we are proud to receive this great honor. Congratulations to the Greenberg Traurig Texas lawyers who worked alongside our Appleseed Equal Justice Works Fellow to help Gulf Coast hurricane victims," said Greenberg Traurig's National Pro Bono Shareholder Holly Skolnick, who accepted the award on behalf of the firm.

"We are especially pleased that the Appleseed award recognizes two prongs of our pro bono program: our funding of several dozen Equal Justice Works Fellows each year, as well as our lawyers' providing legal services to benefit those less fortunate in the communities that Greenberg Traurig serves across the country."

Texas Appleseed promotes social and economic justice for Texans by leveraging the skills and resources of volunteer lawyers and other professionals to identify practical solutions to difficult social problems.

Houston attorney Richard W. Mithoff was presented with the 2008 J. Chrys Dougherty Good Apple Award at Thursday's event. Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP also received a service award.

Greenberg Traurig, LLP is an international, full-service law firm with more than 1,800 attorneys and governmental affairs professionals in the United States, Europe and Asia. The firm was selected as the 2007 USA Law Firm of the Year by Chambers and Partners. In Texas, the firm has offices in Dallas, Houston, and Austin.