NLSP Honors Covington for Pro Bono Commitment

WASHINGTON, DC, October 7, 2014 — The Neighborhood Legal Services Program honored Covington & Burling with its “Enduring Impact” award in recognition of its longstanding commitment to providing free legal services to people living in poverty.

“It is impossible to capture even a fraction of the breadth and depth of Covington’s commitment to pro bono work, which literally spans the globe, involves every area of the firm’s practice and all kinds of lawyering,” said Hannah Lieberman, executive director of Neighborhood Legal Services Program. “Covington’s efforts have contributed to a fairer system of justice and given true meaning to the concept of ‘equal access under law.’”

Covington has sent staff attorneys, paralegals and secretaries to work at the organization for six-month rotations since 1969. In addition, the firm has also endowed a fellowship program in honor of former Covington partner Howard Westwood, one of the organization’s founders, enabling two recent law school graduates to work as staff attorneys at the organization for one or two years.

“We are very proud to be recognized with this wonderful award,” said Timothy Hester, chair of the firm’s management committee. “Pro bono work is a longstanding tradition at Covington that dates back to our founding nearly a century ago. We see it as an honor to help those who cannot afford legal counsel get the representation they deserve.”

Attorney General Eric Holder was the keynote speaker at the organization’s 50th Anniversary Gala dinner at Howard University on October 2. He praised the program’s lawyers stating: “Every day, your efforts not only change lives for the better – but they also save precious taxpayer dollars, protect patients’ health, expand access to public benefits, keep families together, and offer disadvantaged citizens a pathway out of poverty.”