DLA Piper is pleased to announce that the firm received the American Bar Association (ABA) Business Law Section's 2011 National Public Service Award for outstanding business law pro bono services. The award was presented at the Section's spring meeting in Boston on April 15, 2011. Given annually by the Section's Pro Bono Committee, this prestigious award honors a law firm or corporate legal department that has demonstrated a commitment to providing pro bono legal services to the poor in a business context. DLA Piper was recognized for the overall breadth of its pro bono program, a sustained commitment to transactional pro bono and a readiness to partner with nonprofit organizations and businesses in the community on meaningful pro bono projects. “We are honored by this recognition of DLA Piper's long-standing dedication to pro bono legal service that helps contribute to business growth in the communities we serve around the globe,” said Lee Miller, Joint Chief Executive Officer of DLA Piper. “We look forward to ongoing collaborations with our clients, as well as nonprofit organizations and others in the business community, as we continue to expand the scope and geographic reach of our pro bono business services.” DLA Piper committed more than 136,000 hours in 2010 to pro bono efforts through signature pro bono projects in the United States that address vexing social problems and internationally through New Perimeter, the firm's non-profit affiliate dedicated exclusively to global pro bono work. Projects are designed to commit significant resources to tackle systematic issues, such as improving educational outcomes, supporting veterans, hunger relief, access to justice, and supporting legal education in developing and post-conflict countries. The firm's transactional pro bono work has focused around partnerships with firm clients and serving as outside counsel to nonprofit organizations. This includes such initiatives as: • Support for educational organizations, such as Head Start and Promise Neighborhoods, through DLA Piper's largest signature project, Advancing Education’s Promise • Pro bono work for the Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans with Disabilities, a program that offers practical training for entrepreneurship and small business management to veterans with disabilities • DLA Piper's partnership with the Bar Association of San Francisco's Community Organization Representation Project to provide free legal services to low-income individuals, nonprofits and businesses “This award is a direct result of our attorneys' unyielding dedication to utilizing their business and legal expertise to serve those less fortunate throughout the world,” said Elizabeth Dewey, U.S. Pro Bono Partner for DLA Piper. “Through legal assistance to small businesses and individuals, as well as the nonprofit organizations who serve them, DLA Piper attorneys have made significant contributions to facilitating business growth in our communities.” Sheldon Krantz, director of New Perimeter and a partner with DLA Piper, accepted the award on the firm's behalf. Henry Lesser, Senior Counsel in DLA Piper's Corporate practice, and Sara Andrews, International Pro Bono Counsel and Program Manager for New Perimeter, were also in attendance. About DLA Piper (www.dlapiper.com) DLA Piper has 3,500 attorneys in 29 countries and 70 offices throughout the US, UK, Continental Europe, Middle East and Asia. In certain jurisdictions, this information may be considered attorney advertising.