In October, Chief U.S. District Judge Michael P. Shea announced partner Lorey Leddy as the attorney recipient of the District of Connecticut’s 2024 Pro Bono Award for outstanding  contributions in providing legal services to indigent persons.

Lorey was appointed as pro bono counsel in 2017 and served for seven years as counsel to more than two dozen prisoners challenging their conditions of confinement. She demonstrated a tireless commitment to the plaintiffs through class certification proceedings and extended settlement negotiations in a difficult case. In doing so, she earned the respect and appreciation of her clients, and the gratitude of the United States District Court for the District of Connecticut for her thoughtful and effective advocacy on behalf of a large group of persons who otherwise would have had to navigate complex legal issues on their own.

Chief Judge Michael P. Shea remarked: “Attorney Leddy’s extraordinary pro bono service ensured meaningful access to justice for her many clients in need of legal representation. Her years of involvement were instrumental to the just resolution of the case.”

Lorey has more than 30 years of trial and appellate experience representing corporate, municipal and individual clients in a variety of matters in both state and federal courts in Connecticut and New York, including general commercial disputes, creditors’ rights cases, complex contract matters, construction cases, patent and trademark litigation, employment defense, and trusts and estates litigation. In addition to her work on the case for which she was recognized, Lorey provides pro bono representation to current and former inmates through the federal re-entry program and through Volunteers of Legal Service’s Incarcerated Mothers Project.

The Court celebrated the contributions of over one hundred attorneys who, as members of the federal bar, accepted appointment as pro bono counsel in 2023 and 2024 at the 12th Biennial Bench-Bar Conference hosted by the Connecticut Bar Association on October 31.