"Lifetime Achievement Award" a Prestigious Capstone for a 55-Year Career 

(October 27, 2011, Chicago, IL, and New York City, NY) - The American Lawyer honored Reed Smith's Lowell Sachnoff as a recipient of its prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award for 2011 at a gala event at the Waldorf Astoria, last night in New York City.  The annual award recognizes lawyers in the United States who achieve outstanding private sector and public service successes over the course of their careers.

According to American Lawyer Media (ALM), Sachnoff's securities and antitrust wins are the stuff of legend, and he also has long been devoted - first at his own firm, Sachnoff & Weaver, and more recently at Reed Smith - to advocating for women, minorities and the poor, and inspiring others to do likewise.  ALM cited Sachnoff & Weaver as being among the first firms to represent Guantanamo Bay detainees.

"I am very humbled by this recognition," said Sachnoff, now 80, who plans to retire from practice at the end of 2011.  "This was not an award I sought, but it is one that I am deeply honored to receive."

In selecting the well-connected octogenarian as a "Lifetime Achiever," The American Lawyer cited the long record of successes Sachnoff achieved through his parallel lives in private practice and pro bono law.  "In choosing Lifetime Achievers, we looked for lawyers with exemplary business bona fides, but that's not enough," said Robin Sparkman, Editor in Chief of The American Lawyer.  "We also wanted people who fit a broader definition of success."

The announcement of his selection quotes Esther Lardent, CEO of the Pro Bono Institute, who said, "As the head of his firm, he created an environment where pro bono work was not just tolerated but strongly encouraged."

A 1957 graduate of Harvard Law School, Sachnoff founded Sachnoff & Weaver with friends in the early 1960s.  That firm's corporate, commercial and general practices grew to 130 lawyers before combining with Reed Smith in 2007.  "Lowell has set a very high standard for excellence in the practice of law," said Reed Smith's Global Managing Partner, Gregory B. Jordan.  "This award was extremely well-deserved.  All of us at Reed Smith are fortunate to have had Lowell as a valued colleague and mentor."

The son of Ukrainian immigrants who fled Eastern Europe and settled in Chicago during the Great Depression, Sachnoff is planning an active retirement.  Just weeks ago, he returned from teaching a course in mediation and arbitration at a university in Russia in the region from which his parents fled.

Additional details about the Reed Smith honoree's inspirational personal history and legal successes were featured in the September issue of the publication and are available online at americanlawyer.com or through the link below.

About Reed Smith

Reed Smith is a global relationship law firm with more than 1,600 lawyers in 23 offices throughout the United States, Europe, Asia and the Middle East.  Founded in 1877, the firm represents leading international businesses, from Fortune 100 corporations to mid-market and emerging enterprises.  Its lawyers provide litigation and other dispute resolution services in multi-jurisdictional and other high-stakes matters; deliver regulatory counsel; and execute the full range of strategic domestic and cross-border transactions.  Reed Smith is a preeminent advisor to industries including financial services, life sciences, health care, advertising, technology and media, shipping, energy trade and commodities, real estate, manufacturing, and education.  For more information, visit reedsmith.com.

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