The national law firm of Alston & Bird is pleased to announce that W. Terence Walsh, partner in the firm's litigation and trial practice group, has been named recipient of the 2007 John Minor Wisdom Public Service and Professionalism Award. Selected by the American Bar Association (ABA) Section of Litigation, the Wisdom Award will be presented at the Section of Litigation's annual conference in San Antonio on April 12, 2007.

"Being named as the recipient of the ABA's John Minor Wisdom Award is a significant achievement and is regarded as one of the highest honors reserved for those who have demonstrated a lasting commitment to pro bono service," said Ben F. Johnson III, Alston & Bird's managing partner. "Terry's leadership as Community Liaison Partner is an integral part of our firm's overall dedication to providing the highest standard of community involvement, a belief that has been a cornerstone of Alston & Bird. We are proud of Terry's recent recognition."

Created in 1990, the annual award was named for Judge John Minor Wisdom, a renowned Fifth Circuit judge and scholar. It recognizes attorneys and firms who have made a commitment to public service through their accomplishments in pro bono litigation. These attorneys have also made significant contributions to their community through efforts to ensure that the legal system is available to the poor, disenfranchised and other underrepresented groups. Each year awards may be given to a law firm; a lawyer in private practice or corporate counsel office; and a lawyer who is employed by a legal service or other public interest group.

Walsh belongs to Alston & Bird's Real Estate Litigation Practice and Financial Institution Litigation teams and is engaged in a broad range of business litigation, including financial institution litigation, intellectual property enforcement litigation, bankruptcy and commercial LL/T litigation. Walsh serves as the firm's Community Liaison Partner and currently leads a team representing four Guantanamo detainees, several inmates on death row, and many child asylum-seekers. He also co-founded and chairs the Truancy Intervention Project, a dropout prevention effort which has represented more than 3,500 children and has a success rate of over 80 percent. In addition, Walsh chairs the State Bar Committee on Children and the Courts and serves as a Director of Family Connection Partnership and the Georgia Appleseed Center for Law and Justice. Walsh received his J.D. degree from Emory University and his B.A. degree from Brown University, where he serves as Trustee Emeritus.

About Alston & Bird

With 750 attorneys, Alston & Bird is a major U.S. law firm with an extensive national and international practice. Located in Atlanta, Charlotte, New York, the Research Triangle and Washington, D.C., Alston & Bird provides a complete breadth of litigation, tax, regulatory and legislative, intellectual property and technology, health care and corporate and transactional legal services. The firm has built a national reputation as one of the country's best employers. For the past eight years, Alston & Bird has been ranked in FORTUNE magazine's "100 Best Companies to Work For," ranking in the top 25 for seven of those years.

About The American Bar Association Section of Litigation

The ABA Section of Litigation, with more than 77,000 members, includes trial lawyers, judges, and others involved in all aspects of litigation and the dispute resolution process. The section is dedicated to promoting justice both domestically and internationally and enhancing public understanding of and respect for the legal profession.

With more than 413,000 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 in a democratic society.