Skadden and University of Alabama Seek Nominees for Morris Dees Justice Award

To honor Morris Dees for a lifetime of public service, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP & Affiliates and The University of Alabama School of Law are accepting nominations for the Morris Dees Justice Award. Nominations must be submitted by Friday, September 15, 2006.

New York, NY (PRWEB) September 15, 2006 -- To honor Morris Dees for a lifetime of public service, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP & Affiliates and The University of Alabama School of Law are accepting nominations for the Morris Dees Justice Award. Nominations must be submitted by Friday, September 15, 2006.

The award will be presented to a lawyer who has devoted his or her career to serving the public interest and pursuing justice, and whose work has brought about positive change in the community, state or nation.

The award ceremony will take place on November 16, 2006, at an event in New York City in honor of the occasion. Morris Dees will attend to deliver the first award.

The winner will be selected by a distinguished committee which includes among its members Professor Jesse Choper, Boalt Hall School of Law; Marcia D. Greenberger, Co-President, National Women’s Law Center; Marjorie Press Lindblom, Co-Chair, Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law; Theodore M. Shaw, Director-Counsel and President, NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund and Tisha Tallman, Regional Counsel, Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund.

Morris Dees is a co-founder and chief trial counsel for the Southern Poverty Law Center in Montgomery, Alabama. The Center is internationally known for tracking hate groups and extremist activity, conducting tolerance training sessions and winning cases against white supremacists. Dees graduated from The University of Alabama School of Law in 1969.

"We consider Morris Dees to be one of our most distinguished law graduates," said Dean Kenneth C. Randall. "His career has been a driving force in our state's and nation's pursuit of justice and equality for all people."

Skadden is one of the leading law firms in the world, with 22 offices and approximately 1,750 attorneys. Skadden is known for its support of public interest law and service, through the Skadden Fellowship Program.

To learn more about the award, nomination criteria, selection committee and to submit nominations, visit http://www.morrisdeesaward.com.

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