(September 24, 2010, Houston, TX) -- Reed Smith LLP was honored by the American Bar Association's Death Penalty Representation Project in Houston today, with a 2010 Exceptional Service Award.  The firm was selected based on its representation and results in seven current death row cases, including five in Alabama and others in Pennsylvania and Illinois.

"We are delighted to be recognized for our national commitment to ensuring justice for individuals convicted of capital crimes," said Christopher K. Walters, Reed Smith's Senior Pro Bono Counsel. "This is an important component of our firmwide pro bono effort, and one that has achieved a notable measure of success."

The Southern Center for Human Rights in Atlanta, GA nominated Reed Smith for the prestigious award, noting that the firm has represented death-sentenced individuals for at least two decades.    

The ABA's criteria for the Exceptional Service Award include commitment above and beyond to pro bono death penalty work as evidenced by the number of death penalty cases handled; financial and hourly commitment in ratio to resources; attention devoted to the death penalty debate; significant impact on the justice system through legal victory, legislation and/or litigation.

According to Robin M. Maher, Director of the ABA's Death Penalty Project, Reed Smith was selected from a record-breaking number of nominations for accomplishments that were "truly impressive."

"Reed Smith's contributions stood out among this remarkable group of volunteers, and the volunteer attorneys and staff at the firm should be commended for their outstanding efforts," she said.

In the 1990s, a team of Reed Smith attorneys in Pittsburgh saved the life of Pennsylvania inmate Lawrence Christie in post-conviction proceedings that culminated in 1998.  The firm began representing a second Pennsylvania death-row inmate, Bradley Martin, at the beginning of his state post-conviction proceedings in 2000.  In 2004, the trial court vacated Mr. Martin's death sentence and ordered a new sentencing hearing. In September, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court affirmed the grant of a new sentencing hearing.

In 2007, Reed Smith gained another death penalty case when it merged with the law firm of Sachnoff & Weaver. In this matter, the firm obtained an Illinois Supreme Court reversal of the client's death sentence.  On remand, its lawyers asserted Mr. Morgan's claim of actual innocence that is currently the subject of a federal habeas proceeding.

Reed Smith began a fourth death penalty representation later in 2007, when attorney David Kochman joined the firm's New York office, bringing with him a client on Alabama's death row, William Kuenzel.  David's exemplary work on Mr. Kuenzel's behalf at the federal habeas corpus stage included a victory at the Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, reversing the district court and instructing that it give due consideration to Mr. Kuenzel's claim of actual innocence.  Proceedings in the district court continue.

Late in 2008, Reed Smith took on four death penalty representations in the Alabama state courts.  In all four, clients had been sentenced to life in prison without parole by their sentencing juries, but the elected trial judges had used Alabama's "judicial override" procedure to overturn the jury's sentence and impose a death sentence. 

Three of the Alabama cases remain in post-conviction proceedings and one continues on direct appeal.  In each post-conviction case, the firm has conducted field investigations and raised multiple claims, inter alia, of ineffectiveness of trial counsel.  To date none of these post-conviction cases has yet produced a judicial decision on the clients' claims.

About Reed Smith

Reed Smith is a global relationship law firm with nearly 1,600 lawyers in 22 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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