Scott C. Solberg Pro Bono Award

The Legal Aid Society of Metropolitan Family Services honored litigation partner Donna Welch with its Scott C. Solberg Pro Bono Award at the organization's 2011 Equal Access to Justice Award luncheon in Chicago. The Solberg Award recognizes attorneys and law firms who display a strong commitment to the fundamental principles of equal protection and equal justice in the community through outstanding pro bono service. Ms. Welch received the award for leading the pro bono legal team in Williams v. Quinn, in which a federal judge in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois approved a settlement that will give approximately 4,500 people with mental illnesses in Illinois the choice to move out of large nursing homes, known as "institutions for mental disease," and into community-based settings. Ms. Welch has also supervised dozens of Kirkland associates on a variety of pro bono matters for low-income individuals and organizations that assist low-income individuals. Kirkland was a sponsor of the luncheon.