DLA Piper is pleased to announce that it will present its annual Justice Seymour Simon Award to those at the firm woking to support hunger relief in communities across the world. The award, which was created in 2007 in honor of the late Justice Seymour Simon, a former DLA Piper partner and Illinois Supreme Court Justice, is awarded annually to recognize outstanding pro bono work by a team of lawyers and staff at the firm.
As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of people struggling with hunger in the United States is projected to rise to as high as 54 million, including 18 million children. For more than 30 years, DLA Piper has supported food banks across the world, providing them with pro bono legal support, fundraising and volunteering to pack food for distribution. The firm represents food banks across the country, as well as Feeding America, the largest hunger relief organization in the US, and The Global FoodBanking Network, which DLA Piper helped create more than ten years ago through New Perimeter, the firm’s nonprofit affiliate that provides long-term pro bono legal assistance in under-served regions around the world. Since January, more than 100 DLA Piper lawyers have devoted 2,400 hours to food banks and organizations.
Several DLA Piper lawyers serve as outside counsel to these food banks, advising on issues such as employment, IP, real estate and corporate governance. The firm’s hunger relief efforts have also expanded globally and include advising the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), winner of the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize. Finally, DLA Piper assembled a research team to help understand and better respond to the rapidly changing landscape around global food insecurity.
Since the start of the pandemic, DLA Piper lawyers have advised on employee safety; helped establish contracts for new supply, distribution and food storage options; worked to bring in the National Guard in certain locations to help distribute food; and assisted with applications for the Payroll Protection Program. DLA Piper was also able to leverage its broader client base to facilitate connections to industrial clients seeking to donate excess space to help in the relief efforts.
