Pro Bono Awards
Pro Bono Awards
The State Bar of Georgia Access to Justice Committee and the State Bar of Georgia Pro Bono Resource Center solicit nominations for the Pro Bono Awards in March of each year.
H. Sol Clark Award
The H. Sol Clark Award is named for former Court of Appeals of Georgia Judge Clark of Savannah, who is known as the “father of legal aid in Georgia.” The prestigious Clark Award honors an individual lawyer who has excelled in one or more of a variety of activities that extend civil legal services to the poor.
William B. Spann Jr. Award
The William B. Spann Jr. Award is given each year to a local bar association, law firm or community organization in Georgia that has developed a civil pro bono program that has satisfied previously unmet legal needs or extended services to underserved segments of the population. The award is named for a former president of the American Bar Association and former executive director of the State Bar of Georgia.
A Business Commitment Award
The A Business Commitment Award is presented by the State Bar of Georgia Pro Bono Resource Center to honor the business law pro bono contributions of an individual lawyer, corporate legal department or law firm to the nonprofit community and community economic development sector in Georgia.
Dan Bradley Award
The Dan Bradley Award honors the memory of Georgia native and Mercer Law graduate Dan J. Bradley, who was president of the federal Legal Services Corporation from 1979 to 1982. He is credited by many with having been instrumental in saving the Legal Services Corporation, which funds programs like Georgia Legal Services Program and the Atlanta Legal Aid Society, from elimination in the early 1980s. The Dan Bradley Legal Services Award recognizes the work of an Atlanta Legal Aid or Georgia Legal Services Program attorney who has excelled in the commitment to the delivery of quality legal services to the poor and to providing equal access to justice.
Law School Excellence in Access to Justice Award
The Law School Excellence in Access to Justice Award was created by the State Bar of Georgia Access to Justice Committee and the State Bar of Georgia Young Lawyers Division. The award is open to all law students currently enrolled in or graduating from an accredited Georgia law school.
The Law School Excellence in Access to Justice Award recognizes an individual law student and a law student group or group activity. The Student Award specifically recognizes a law student who has excelled in participation in support of a civil pro bono or legal aid program or who has developed or has been instrumental in the development of a civil pro bono program satisfying previously unmet civil legal needs or extended services to underserved segments of the population. The Group Award also specifically recognizes a law student-led group or activity that has demonstrated an effective mechanism in addressing the civil legal needs of the community or that has demonstrated a high level of participation and commitment of its members to provision of civil legal services to the poor in the community.
All law-related activities for which the nominee is credited must be within the realm of those permitted for law students or under the direction of a lawyer or law school program.
Cheryl Naja Friend of Justice Award
The Cheryl Naja Friend of Justice Award is named for the former Director of Pro Bono & Community Engagement at Alson & Bird LLP in recognition of her many years spent bettering the lives of all Georgians. It is awarded on occasion to an individual other than a lawyer who has gone above and beyond in providing community service and otherwise supporting those in need.
2024-25 Award Recipients
H. Sol Clark Award
M. Beth Boone
William B. Spann Jr. Award
Georgia Appleseed FAIR Project
A Business Commitment Award
Seyfarth Shaw LLP
Dan Bradley Award
Maggie Kinnear
Law School Student Excellence in Access to Justice Award
Maddison Blair, Emory University School of Law
Hayley Borsey, Emory University School of Law
Liz Harding Chao, Georgia State University College of Law
Michael Cress, Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School
Adoris Gibbs, University of Georgia School of Law
Aliana Stanley, Georgia State University College of Law
James Woodall, Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School
Cheryl Naja Friend of Justice Award
Lilli Crowe
2023-24 Award Recipients
H. Sol Clark Award
Lauren Sudeall
William B. Spann Jr. Award
Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough, LLP
A Business Commitment Award
Delta Airlines
Dan Bradley Award
Michael Leo Monahan, Georgia Legal Services Program
Law School Individual Excellence in Access to Justice Award
Erin Braden, Georgia State University College of Law
Aimee Lyons, Georgia State University College of Law
Andy Paul, Georgia State University College of Law
Maxwell Rogers, Georgia State University College of Law
Zachary Vigneau, Georgia State University College of Law
Cheryl Naja Friend of Justice Award
Maria Turner
2022-23 Award Recipients
H. Sol Clark Award
Francesca Rehal
Tom Reilly
William B. Spann Jr. Award
Georgia Lawyers for the Arts
A Business Commitment Award
Alston & Bird LLP
Dan Bradley Award
Kristin N. Verrill
Law School Individual Excellence in Access to Justice Award
Stephanie Brito, 3L, Georgia State University College of Law
Briana Hayes, 3L, University of Georgia School of Law
Aditya Krishnaswamy, 2L, Georgia State University College of Law
Mia McKnight, 3L, University of Georgia School of Law
Alexander Smolyar, 3L, University of Georgia School of Law
Cheryl Naja Friend of Justice Award
Cheryl Naja
2021-22 Award Recipients
H. Sol Clark Award
John H. Fleming
William B. Spann Jr. Award
Georgia Association of Black Women Attorneys Foundation
A Business Commitment Award
The Home Depot Legal Department
Dan Bradley Award
Kenneth J. Jones
Law School Excellence in Access to Justice Award
Richmond Wrinkle, University of Georgia School of Law
and Emory University School of Law Public Interest Committee
2020-21 Award Recipients
H. Sol Clark Award
Hon. Dexter Wimbish
Martin Ellin
William B. Spann Jr. Award
Corey Martin and The Law Offices of Martin & Associates
A Business Commitment Award
Business Law Clinic, University of Georgia School of Law
Dan Bradley Award
Anne Carder, Atlanta Legal Aid Society
Law School Excellence in Access to Justice
Peyton Stuart, University of Georgia School of Law
Paige Finley, University of Georgia School of Law