Pro Bono News

DLA Piper's Carl Hittinger Recognized with Pro Bono Award

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

DLA Piper is pleased to announce that Carl Hittinger, chair of the firm’s Philadelphia Litigation practice, was selected to receive The Legal Intelligencer’s “Unsung Heroes” award for his dedication to pro bono work. Recipients of the award will be honored at an event on April 12 at the Wanamaker Building in Philadelphia.

Given annually by The Legal Intelligencer, a leading Pennsylvania law journal, the “Unsung Heroes” award recognizes Pennsylvania attorneys who have shown exemplary dedication to helping their communities through pro bono service. Honorees were selected based on several criteria, including their impact on the underprivileged in their communities and the complexity of their pro bono matters.

“We are proud that Carl is being recognized for his tireless dedication to pro bono service and promoting equal access to justice,” said James Brogan, managing partner of DLA Piper’s Philadelphia office. “Carl has demonstrated an extraordinary commitment to giving a voice to the underserved in our community and we congratulate him on this well-deserved honor.”

In partnership with the Public Interest Law Center of Philadelphia, Hittinger has provided more than 500 hours of pro bono support to the representation of African American students in a racial discrimination lawsuit against Lower Merion School District. The federal lawsuit, Blunt et al vs. Lower Merion School District, alleges that the plaintiffs were disproportionately and inappropriately placed in special education programs and the lowest level classes.

At DLA Piper, Hittinger focuses his practice on commercial and civil rights litigation with particular emphasis on antitrust and unfair competition matters. He has 33 years of experience successfully trying numerous lengthy jury and non-jury cases before federal and state courts across the country. Hittinger also regularly represents corporations in investigations and actions brought by federal and state government and regulatory agencies. A frequent author and speaker on antitrust matters, Hittinger is a member of the Philadelphia Bar Association, where he serves on the Federal Courts and Antitrust Law Committees, as well as the Federal Bar Association and Phi Beta Kappa.

He also serves on the Antitrust Law Committee of the District of Columbia Bar Association and the Antitrust Law Section of the American Bar Association. Hittinger received a B.A., summa cum laude, from Temple University and a J.D. from Temple University School of Law, where he was an editor of the law review and a member of the moot court board. After law school, he clerked for Chief Judge Emeritus Louis C. Bechtle of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania for more than two years.