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May 18, 2021

2013 Diversity Leadership and John Minor Wisdom Award

Larry D. Smith, a founding Partner of Southern Trial Counsel PLC in Orlando, FL, is the 2013 Diversity Leadership Award Recipient. Larry defends American and global companies in complex, catastrophic, or otherwise high-exposure personal injury cases throughout Florida and the southeast. His clients range from small businesses to Fortune 10 companies including product, medical device and pharmaceutical manufacturers, insurance/reinsurance companies (and their insureds), and major theme parks. He has been selected as a Super Lawyer for the past 6 consecutive years, listed among Florida Trend Magazine’s Legal Elite, and ranked as AV-Preeminent by Martindale-Hubbell. 

 

 

The John Minor Wisdom Public Service and Professionalism Awards were presented to Larry Hammond and to Perkins Coie, LLP. The John Minor Wisdom Public Service & Professionalism Award is presented in recognition of outstanding contributions to the equality of justice in their communities.

Larry Hammond is a practicing criminal defense lawyer with the Phoenix law firm of Osborn Maledon. Larry has spent over 30 years practicing in the private sector, but regards his two tours with the Department of Justice as among his most satisfying professional experiences. He served as an Assistant Watergate Special Prosecutor in 1973-1974 and then returned to Justice during the Carter Administration where he worked in the Office of Legal Counsel as the First Deputy Assistant Attorney General under both Attorneys General Griffin Bell and Ben Civiletti.

Founded in 1912, Perkins Coie has more than 900 lawyers in offices across the United States and Asia. Across all of our 19 offices, Perkins Coie lawyers and staff are dedicated to giving back to the community.  Sharing time and talents to help those most in need is an important part of the culture and helps define the individuals and firm.  For five years in a row, Perkins Coie has exceeded goals as a signatory to the Pro Bono Institute’s Law Firm Pro Bono Challenge. In 2012, attorneys dedicated more than 46,000 pro bono hours, representing more than 3% of the firm’s total billable hours for the year.

 

 

 

The Diversity Leadership Award recognizes those individuals or entities who have demonstrated a commitment to promoting full and equal participation in the legal profession through the encouragement and inclusion of women, minorities, persons with disabilities, and/or persons of differing sexual orientations and gender identities.

The John Minor Wisdom Public Service and Professionalism Award was established by the ABA Section of Litigation in 1990. It is named for The Honorable John Minor Wisdom, a scholar and jurist of the highest integrity whose tenure on the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit is best known for its recognition of constitutional rights of all citizens.

Each year the Section honors Judge Wisdom through the nomination and selection of outstanding individuals and firms to receive the award that bears his name. Recipients of the Wisdom Awards have made outstanding contributions to the quality of justice in their communities, ensuring that the legal system is open and available to all.


An Interview with
Judge Wisdom