John Minor Wisdom Award Recipients

2024

Michael Jacobs

Morrison Foerster
San Francisco, CA

Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP

New York, NY

2023

Mary Gately

DLA Piper
Washington, D.C.

Baker Donelson

Birmingham, AL

2022

Caroline J. Heller

Greenberg Traurig, LLP
New York, NY

DLA Piper

Chicago, IL

2021

Gibbons PC

Neal Manne

Susman Godfrey LLP
Houston, TX

2020

Judith Sandalow

Children’s Law Center
Washington, D.C.

2019

John G. Levi

Sidley LLP and Legal Services Corporation
Chicago, IL

2018

Karen Freedman

Lawyers for Children
New York, NY

2017

Eva Paterson

Equal Justice Society
San Francisco, CA

2016 

Baker and McKenzie

Lisa Borden

Birmingham, AL

2015

Cooley LLP

Diana Holt

Columbia, SC

2014

Lisa C. Wood

Boston, MA

Martin R. Glick

2013

Larry Hammond

Phoenix, AZ

Perkins Coie, LLP

San Francisco, CA

2012

Eric S. Angel

Washington, D.C.

Gulf Justice Consortium

Jackson, MS

2011

Dan Woods

Los Angeles, CA

Morrison & Foerster LLP

San Francisco, CA

Martha Bergmark

Jackson, MS

Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP

Washington, D.C.

Pittsburgh Pro Bono Partnership

Pittsburgh, PA

2009

Lynn Girton

Boston, MA

Kenneth Parsigian

Boston, MA

Leonard, Street and Deinard

Minneapolis, MN

Jayne Fleming

Oakland, CA

Jared Genser

Washington, D.C.

2007

W. Terence Walsh

Atlanta, GA

Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP

New York, NY

2006

Bruce Iwasaki

Lim, Ruger & Kim LLP
Los Angeles, CA

Michael Ratner

Center for Constitutional Rights
New York, NY

Sylvia Hardaway Walbolt

Carlton Fields, P.A.
Tampa, FL

2005

Jerold S. Solovy

Jenner & Block LLP
Chicago, IL

Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP

Columbia, SC 

2004

Stewart W. Gagnon

Fulbright & Jaworski LLP
Houston, TX

Hogan & Hartson LLP

Columbia Square
Washington, D.C.

2003

Richard J. Clarkson

Reaud, Morgan & Quinn, Inc.
Beaumont, Texas

Thomas P. Sullivan

Jenner & Block
Chicago, IL 

2002

G. Gordon Bonnyman, Jr.

Tennessee Justice Center, Inc.
Nashville, TN

Terry H. Gilbert

Gilbert & Friedman
Cleveland, OH

Heller Ehrman

White & McAuliffe
Seattle, WA

2001

Ann M. Durst

Executive Director/Staff Attorney
Casa Cornelia Legal Services
San Diego, CA

Jonel Newman

Florida Justice Institute, Inc.
Miami, FL

George Peach Taylor

Tuscaloosa, AL

2000

Julie E. Levin

Legal Aid of Western Missouri
Kansas City, MO

Dennis Bricking

Louisville Legal Aid Society, Inc.
Louisville,  KY

Nancy Winkelman

Schnader Harrison Segal & Lewis L.L.P.
Philadelphia, PA

William H. Beardall, Jr.

Texas Rural Legal Aid, Inc.
Austin, TX 

1999

James L. Baillie

Fredrikson & Byron
Minneapolis, MN

Howard W. Dixon

Legal Aid Society/ Put Something Back
Miami, FL

John D. Elliott

Law Office of John D. Elliott
Columbia, S.C.

W. Frank Newton

Texas Tech University School of Law
Lubbock, TX

Martha Sheehy

Anderson & Leighty, P.C.
Billings, MT

Myra Sheehan

Crowell & Moring
Washington, D.C.

1998

Sarah E. LeClaire

Presque Isle, ME

Stanley E. Levine

Davis Levine Livingston Grande
Honolulu, HI

John Pickens

Georgia Justice Project
Atlanta, GA

John M. Bouman

Poverty Law Project
Natl. Clearinghouse for Legal Services
Chicago, IL

William M. Paul

Covington & Burling
Washington, D.C.

1997

Douglas S. Eakeley

Lowenstein, Sandler, Kohl, Fisher & Boylan
Roseland, NJ

M. Ayres Gardner

Gardner and Greenwood
Decatur, GA

Melinda Lawrence

Patterson, Harkavy & Lawrence
Raleigh, NC

Steven Nissen

Public Counsel
Los Angeles, CA

William C. Prince

Sole Practicioner
Springfield, MO

1995-96

Janet Reno

Attorney General of the United States
U.S. Department of Justice
Washington, D.C.

Kent R. Spuhler

Florida Legal Services, Inc.
Tallahassee, FL

Richard C. Milstein

Akerman, Senterfitt & Edison
Miami, FL

Mary Clarkson

Broom, Johnson, Clarkson, Peppard & Pruss
Omaha, Nebraska

Robert Broom

Broom, Johnson, Clarkson, Peppard & Pruss
Omaha, NE

David I. Bruck

Columbia, SC

1994-95

Emma Andrews

Managing Attorney
SE Tennessee Legal Services
Chattanooga, TN

Steven Gottlieb

Executive Director
Atlanta Legal Aid Society
Atlanta, GA

William Lee Grimm

Staff Attorney
National Center for Youth Law
San Francisco, CA

Franklin J. Hickman

Stege, Hickman & Lowder Co., LPA
Cleveland, OH

Peter M. Siegel

Senior Staff Attorney
Florida Justice Institute, Inc.
720 First Union Financial Center
Miami, FL

1993-94

Alex A. Alston

Alston, Rutherford, Tardy & Van Slyke
Jackson, MS

William Tamayo

Managing Attorney
Asian Law Caucus
San Francisco, CA

Herbert Semmel

Litigation Director
New York Lawyers for the Public Interest
New York, NY

David G. Hall

Executive Director
Texas Rural Legal Aid, Inc.
Westlaco, TX

Pamela A. Mohr

Executive Director
Alliance for Children's Rights
Los Angeles, CA

Stephen T. Owens

Graham & James
Los Angeles, CA

1992-93

Mary S. Burdick

Western Center on Law and Poverty, Inc.
El Cajun, CA

Brenda Willett

c/o Curt Stuckey
Stuckey & Garrigan
Nacogdoches, TX

M. Victor Geminiani

Legal Services of Northern California
Executive Office
Sacremento, CA

John W. Martin, Jr.

Ford Motor Company
The American Road
Dearborn, MI

1991-92

Maury J. Maverick, Jr.

San Antonio, TX

Bryan Stevenson

Executive Director
Alabama Capital Representation Resource Center
Montgomery, AL

Ellen J. Vargas

National Women's Law Center
Washington, D.C.

Marta E. Vides

Legal Aid Society of Santa Clara
San Jose, CA

John D. Hamilton

Richard A. Johnston
Hale & Dorr
Boston, MA

Prof. Michael A. Millemann

Legal Services Clinic
University of Maryland School of Law
Baltimore, MD

Prof. E. Clinton Bamberger

Legal Services Clinic
University of Maryland School of Law
Baltimore, MD

1990-91

Charles H. Dorsey

Legal Aid Bureau
Baltimore, MD

James C. Harrington

Texas Civil Liberties Union
Austin, TX

Jenner & Block

One IBM Plaza
Chicago, IL

Benjamin Lerner

Hangley Connolly Epstein Chicco Foxman & Ewing
Philadelphia, PA

Nancy Mintie

Inner City Law Center
Los Angeles, CA

Carrol Rhodes

Hazelhurst, MI

John M. Rosenberg

Appalachian Research and Defense Fund of Kentucky, Inc.
Prestonburg, KY

Kathleen M. Severens

Legal Aid Society
Walthill, NE

Michael E. Tigar

University of Texas School of Law
Austin, TX

1989-90

Stephen H. Sachs

Wilmer Cutler & Pickering
Washington, D.C.

S. James Anaya

University of Iowa – College of Law
Iowa City, IA

Lee Teran

San Antonio, TX

Haywood Burns

City University
New York Law School at Queens College
Flushing, NY             

Benjamin R. Civiletti

Venable Baetjer & Howard
Baltimore, MD

Robert M. Hayes

National Coalition for the Homeless
New York, NY                      

Lillian Johnson

Community Legal Services, Inc.
Phoenix, AZ              

Laughlin McDonald

American Civil Liberties Union
Atlanta, GA

Hon. Cruz Reynoso

Kaye Scholer Fierman Hays & Handler
Los Angeles, CA