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Mary Ryan, a partner in the Litigation Department at Nutter McClennen & Fish, was recently honored with the William Reece Smith Jr. Special Services to Pro Bono award presented by the National Association of Pro Bono Professionals (NAPBPro). The award honors an attorney who has made an outstanding commitment and positive impact on the institutions and systems of providing pro bono legal services. She was given the award by the American Bar Association (ABA) President James R. Silkenat at the recent ABA / NLADA Equal Justice Conference held in Portland, Oregon, which Mary co-chaired for the second year.

“Mary is a truly deserving recipient of this national honor. She is committed to the ideal of fair and equal access to our legal system–and to the notion that the quality of pro bono legal services should be excellent," said Deborah J. Manus, managing partner at Nutter. “Mary Ryan sets the gold standard when it comes to her commitment to pro bono and public service. Her colleagues at Nutter are extremely proud of her.”

“Providing access to legal service to those in need through pro bono work is one of the most important things we do as a collective legal community,” said Mary Ryan. “I am grateful to work for Nutter, a firm that embraces the value of pro bono service and supports the work that I and others are doing to encourage greater pro bono work at firms and law schools across the country.”

Ryan serves as the chair of the American Bar Association Standing Committee on Pro Bono and Public Service. Under her leadership, the committee recently revised the Pro Bono Standards and the strengthened the committee’s relationship with Legal Service Corporation (LSC) to ensure more cooperation and collaboration. Ryan co-chaired the Obstacles Working Group of LSC's Pro Bono Task Force and is a member of the Task Force's implementation group.

Ryan was the first chair of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court’s Standing Committee on Pro Bono Legal Services. She serves on Nutter’s Pro Bono committee.

About Nutter McClennen & Fish LLP
Nutter McClennen & Fish LLP is a leading Boston law firm that provides high level legal counsel to clients who range from well-established companies and institutions to early stage entrepreneurs to foundations and families. The firm was co-founded by Louis D. Brandeis, later a renowned justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, and has been in continuous practice for 135 years.