Sheppard Mullin Awards Nick Akers Pro Bono Attorney of the Year
Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP announced today that it will honor Nicklas ("Nick") A. Akers with the firm's first annual SMRH Pro Bono Attorney of the Year Award, an award that recognizes the important community service work done by Sheppard Mullin attorneys. As part of the award presentation on April 21, the firm will donate $5,000 to the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles (LAFLA). Sheppard Mullin attorneys work with LAFLA on a regular basis to provide representation to low income clients.
"The firm has a long history of commitment to the community and is very proud of the pro bono efforts of our lawyers," said Guy Halgren, chair of Sheppard Mullin's Executive Committee. "Nick truly embodies Sheppard Mullin's core value of community by providing legal services to those who could otherwise not afford representation."
"We are pleased Sheppard Mullin chose LAFLA as the recipient of this generous donation and congratulate Nick as the firm's Pro Bono Attorney of the Year," said Bruce Iwasaki, executive director of LAFLA. "This award sends a wonderful message and establishes a great tradition throughout the firm."
Nick Akers is a graduate of Harvard Law School and a fourth-year associate in the firm’s Los Angeles office where he works as a member of Sheppard Mullin's Real Estate, Land Use, Environmental and Construction Litigation Practice Group. Mr. Akers volunteers to provide legal services to the California Army National Guard, its soldiers, and their families as a first lieutenant and judge advocate in the California State Military Reserve. He also devotes time to indigent pro bono matters including the representation of petitioners under the immigration provisions of the violence against women act and adoptive parents in dependency court adoptions.
"I am grateful for the firm's support," said Akers. "Pro bono is one of the finest traditions of our profession. It offers an unmatched opportunity for service to the community, personal fulfillment, and professional development. I am pleased that Sheppard Mullin's donation will support the vital work performed by LAFLA."
Sheppard Mullin's SMRH Pro Bono Attorney of the Year Award has been instituted this year as the firm's highest pro bono honor to recognize and reward the important community service work done by Sheppard Mullin attorneys. Sheppard Mullin recognizes Nick on behalf of all its attorneys that provide high-caliber legal and professional services to persons of limited means and to charitable and civic organizations.
About Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP
Sheppard Mullin is a national law firm with more than 400 attorneys and eight offices in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Orange County, San Diego, Santa Barbara, West Los Angeles, Del Mar Heights, and Washington, D.C. The full-service firm provides legal expertise and counsel for U.S. and international clients in a wide range of practice areas, including Corporate; Entertainment and Media; Finance; Government Contracts; Intellectual Property; Labor and Employment; Litigation; and Real Estate/Land Use. The firm was founded in 1927.