The Division’s Awards Committee is responsible for upholding the highest ideals of the ABA and the legal profession by recruiting, selecting, and recognizing outstanding leaders of the legal profession. Requests for nominations are sent out several months in advance. The Division’s Awards Committee receives and reviews the nominations, and it makes the final selection.

The ABA General Practice, Solo and Small Firm Division’s awards program is underwritten by the generous support of West, a Thomson Reuters business.

GP|Solo & Small Firm Awards

Every year the Division honors outstanding solo and small firm practitioners, as well as bar leaders and bar associations at the Division’s Awards Program held at the Spring Meeting. Recognition is given for Solo and Small Firm Lifetime Achievement, Solo and Small Firm Project Award, Solo and Small Firm Trainer Award.

Solo and Small Firm Lifetime Achievement Award:  Recognizes attorneys who have wide acceptance as having significant lifetime distinction as solo or small firm practitioners.  It recognizes exceptional achievement by solo and small firm practitioners who are widely accepted by their peers as having consistently achieved distinction in an exemplary way. The winners will be viewed by other solo and small firm practitioners as epitomizing the ideals of the legal profession and of solo and small firm practitioners.

Solo and Small Firm Project Award:  Designed to reward bar leaders and associations for their successful implementation of a project or program specifically targeted to solo and small firm lawyers.

Solo and Small Firm Trainer Award:  Recognize attorneys who have made significant contributions to educating lawyers or law students regarding the opportunities and challenges of a solo and small firm practice.

Difference Makers Awards

The Difference Makers Awards recognize extraordinary lawyers who “made a difference” by breaking down barriers for women, people of color, people with disabilities and people of diverse sexual orientations and is held at the Fall. These awards have since been expanded to honor local attorneys whose dedication has made a difference to the profession or the community. Rather than recognizing solo/small firm lawyers or those working in the solo/small firm sections of local and state bars, these awards are intended for big firm lawyers, educators, judges, etc., who fulfill one of the following award categories. Recognition is given for Breaking Barriers, Community Service, Service to the Profession and Pro Bono Service.

Difference Makers Award: This award honors deserving individuals: (a) who have made a difference in the local community, (b) who can’t otherwise qualify for any of the other Difference Makers Awards because that individual is not an attorney, and (c) who lives in the city or state where the Division is meeting and where the Difference Makers Awards dinner is being held.

Making a Difference by Breaking Barriers: This award honors an attorney living or deceased who broke barriers for gender, color, disabilities or sexual orientation.

Making a Difference through Community Service: This award honors an attorney living or deceased who made a significant lifetime contribution to the local community through community service.   (Not necessarily through bar work or pro bono work per se).

Making a Difference through Pro Bono Work: This award honors an attorney, law firm, corporate legal department, government attorney office or institution in the legal profession that has made an outstanding commitment to volunteer legal services for the poor and disadvantaged.  Recognizes an outstanding local attorney or group that does pro bono work.

Making a Difference through Service to the Profession: This award honors an attorney living or deceased who made a significant contribution to the legal profession through service to the profession.  (i.e. frequent activities in bar associations, committees and services).

2008 Solo & Small Firm Awards »

The ABA General Practice, Solo and Small Firm Division annual awards program recognizing dedication to the practice of law as general practitioners or solo or small firm lawyers. The Division’s 2008 Spring Meeting Awards Ceremony was held in New Orleans, LA on May 2, 2008.

The Lifetime Achievement Award was given.

Congratulations to the 2008 award winner:

• Solo and Small Firm Lifetime Achievement Award:
  Charles A. White  Alexandria, VA   More

2008 Difference Makers Awards »

Congratulations to our 2008 Difference Makers Award winners, who were honored at the GP|Solo Division’s 2008 Fall Meeting in Santa Fe, NM.

• Governor Bill Richardson of New Mexico (Santa Fe, NM) for Making a Positive Change in the community
• Professor Nekima Levy-Pounds (St. Paul, MN) for Making a Difference by Breaking Barriers Award
• Justice Petra Jimenez Maes (Santa Fe, NM) for Making a Difference by Breaking Barriers Award
• Margaret Holt Baird (Burlington, NC) for Making a Difference Through Community Service Award
• Patricia L. McCabe (Van Nuys, CA) for Making a Difference Through Pro Bono Work Award
• Briggs Cheney (Albuquerque, NM) for Making a Difference Through Service to the Profession Award
• University of New Mexico School of Law, Indian Law Program, Professor John P. LaVelle (Albuquerque, NM) Certificate of Recognition   More