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Seattle Lawyer Llewelyn G. Pritchard Honored for Distinguished Service
WASHINGTON, D.C., Jan. 27, 2010 – The American Bar Association Section of Individual Rights and Responsibilities will present Seattle lawyer Llewelyn G. Pritchard with its 2010 Robert F. Drinan Award for Distinguished Service, which recognizes service to the section through advancing its mission of providing leadership to the legal profession in protecting and advancing human rights, civil liberties and social justice.
The award is named in honor of the late Father Robert F. Drinan, a former member of Congress and chair of the IR&R section from 1990-1991. The 2010 award presentation will be Feb. 5, at the Walt Disney World Dolphin Hotel, Asia 3 Lobby, 3rd level, at 5:30 p.m.
Pritchard has been active in the IR&R section for more than three decades, and chaired the section from 1978-79. He was also the first chair of the section’s Development Committee, which is responsible for acquiring external grants and sponsors to fund specific section activities and initiatives. In addition, Pritchard was instrumental in establishing the section’s “Support Fund,” a first-of-its kind charitable fund to support section-related projects.
In announcing the award, section chair Richard J. Podell said, “Llew Pritchard is what's right and good about the ABA. He sacrifices his personal time and resources to help others less fortunate. He has been a great leader within the Individual Rights Section as well as in the Family Law Section, Board of Governors, the Immigration Commission, the Center for Human Rights, World Justice Project and Senior Lawyers Division. He has an indefatigable commitment to making the American Bar Association more responsive to the needs of our country and the world today. Most importantly, Llew Pritchard is a wonderful human being who has made those around him better for knowing him.”
Pritchard is a partner at the Seattle law firm of Helsell Fetterman and specializes in family law, estate planning and not-for-profit law. He is a former member of the ABA’s Board of Governors and the ABA’s Executive Committee. Pritchard has served on the executive council of the ABA Family Law Section and chaired the Comprehensive Legal Needs Study and Standing Committee on Legal Aid. He has been a member of the ABA’s House of Delegates – the organization’s policymaking body – for more than 25 years. Pritchard is also a life Fellow of the American Bar Foundation, which promotes justice through research on the law and its impact on society.
Actively involved in his community, Pritchard has served on the boards of the Eastside YMCA, National Symphony Orchestra and the Museum of Glass. He is currently a director of Planned Parenthood of the Great Northwest. He is a former president of Allied Arts of Seattle; the Allied Arts Foundation; Seattle Symphony Orchestra; Patrons of Pacific Northwest Civic, Cultural and Charitable Organizations (PONCHO); and the Duke Alumni Association Puget Sound Club.
Pritchard graduated with honors from Drew University in Madison, NJ, in 1958. He then attended Duke University for law school, earning his degree in 1961.
Created in 1966, the ABA Section of Individual Rights and Responsibilities raises and addresses complex and challenging civil rights and civil liberties issues in a changing and diverse society, and ensures that protection of individual rights remains a focus of legal and policy decisions. For additional information, visit the section’s Web site at http://www.abanet.org/irr/home.html. For a photo of Pritchard, please go to http://www.helsell.com/attorneys/images/llewelyn_p.jpg.
With nearly 400,000 members, the American Bar Association is the largest voluntary professional membership organization in the world. As the national voice of the legal profession, the ABA works to improve the administration of justice, promotes programs that assist lawyers and judges in their work, accredits law schools, provides continuing legal education, and works to build public understanding around the world of the importance of the rule of law.
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