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.

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: Wide acceptance as having significant lifetime distinction as a solo or small firm practitioner. Exceptional achievement by a sole practitioner widely accepted by his or her peers as having consistently achieved distinction in an exemplary way. The winner will also be viewed by other sole practitioners as epitomizing the ideals of the legal profession and sole 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 significant contributions to educating lawyers or law students regarding the opportunities and pitfalls 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.

Making a Difference by Breaking Barriers: Attorneys living or deceased who have broken barriers for gender, color, disabilities or sexual orientation.

Making a Difference through Community Service: Attorneys living or deceased who have made significant lifetime contributions to the local community through community service. Recognizes a lawyer who does not do bar work or pro bono work per se, but does a lot of community work.

Making a Difference through Pro Bono Work: Attorneys, law firms, corporate legal departments, government attorney offices, and institutions in the legal professions that have made an outstanding commitment to volunteer legal services for the poor and disadvantaged. Recognizes an outstanding local attorney/group that does pro bono work.

Making a Difference through Service to the Profession: Attorneys living or deceased who have made significant contributions to the legal profession through service to the profession. This might be called the outstanding local “bar junkie” award.

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

2007 Difference Makers Awards »

Congratulations to our 2007 Difference Makers Award winners, who were honored at the GP|Solo Division’s 2007 Fall Meeting in Philadelphia, PA.

• William T. Robinson III (Florence, KY) for Community Service
• C. Dale McClain (Worcester, PA) for Service to the Profession
• Wendy Demchick-Alloy and Mary Coyne Pugh (Montgomery County, PA) for their work with the Child Advocacy Project
• Harvey F. Strauss (Maple Glen, PA) as Co-Director of Legal Aid for Southeastern PA
• Judge Pamila J. Brown (Ellicott City, MD) for Breaking Barriers   More