The 2018 Norman Redlich Capital Defense Distinguished Service and Pro Bono Awards

The Capital Punishment Committee is pleased to announce that it will present the 2018 Norman Redlich Capital Defense Distinguished Service and Pro Bono Awards at its annual Capital Defense Training Program to those who have shown excellence in the representation of death-row inmates or in advocating for the abolition of the death penalty.  

• The Capital Defense Distinguished Service Award will be given to a practitioner in New York who has demonstrated outstanding lifetime commitment to capital defense work, whether as counsel for a capital defendant or as an advocate for the abolition of the death penalty.  

• The Pro Bono Award will be given to a practitioner, team of practitioners, or law firm in New York that has made a substantial contribution to representing one or more death-row inmates or to the abolition of the death penalty within our criminal justice system on a pro bono basis.  

These awards seek to honor Dean Redlich’s legacy by recognizing those members of the New York bar who emulate his life-long dedication to challenging the death penalty.  Previous recipients of the Distinguished Service Award include Kevin Doyle, Eleanor Jackson Piel, James Liebman, Ronald Tabak, Jonathan Gradess, and George Kendall. And previous recipients of the Pro Bono Award include David Herrington, James Benkard, Kaye Scholer LLP, Sidley Austin LLP, Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP, and Patterson, Belknap, Webb & Tyler LLP.

Letters of nomination for these awards should be submitted to Emilee Sahli, Vice Chair of the Redlich Awards subcommittee (redlich.awards@gmail.com), on or before May 14, 2018.  The letter should include the name, address, phone number, and e-mail address of the nominee and nominator.  It should also state whether the nominee is being proposed for the Capital Defense Distinguished Service Award or Pro Bono Award, and should provide a detailed description of the basis for the nomination.  Information that the subcommittee would find helpful includes: number, longevity, and/or significance of capital representations; recruitment of others to take on representations; contributions to the abolition effort; and publications or other contributions to the capital defense community.

Applications will be reviewed by the Redlich Awards subcommittee of the Capital Punishment Committee. The panel will make recommendations for the awards to the full Capital Punishment Committee, which will select the award winners.  

Recipients of the award will be announced on June 25, 2018, at the New York City Bar Association’s annual Capital Defense Training Program.  Recipients and their nominators will be contacted on or about May 31, 2018.