MINNEAPOLIS (November 7, 2002) — The Minnesota Justice Foundation last night honored two Dorsey & Whitney LLP attorneys for their pro bono work at the organization's Twentieth Anniversary Fall Fundraiser. Dorsey's Edward Magarian received the 2002 Distinguished Service Award and Andre Hanson received the Pro Bono Practice Award. The Minnesota Justice Foundation gives out its Outstanding Service Awards each year to recognize those who have demonstrated a commitment to the community through their public interest work.

Magarian and Hanson were among three attorneys and one law student to receive awards from the Minnesota Justice Foundation.

Magarian, a partner in Dorsey's Trial practice group, was honored with the Distinguished Service Award for taking a leadership role in several pro bono areas that impact economically disadvantaged people. He co-chaired the firm's Housing Law Team from 1999 to 2001, in which he helped organize housing law training, recruited housing team members, mentored new and summer associates, and represented a number of housing law clients.

In addition, Magarian currently serves on the Board of Directors and is Secretary for the Innocence Project of Minnesota. He also teaches a course on the Innocence Project at Hamline Law School in St. Paul, and has worked on several political asylum cases since joining Dorsey in 1990. The goal of the Innocence Project is to review cases for merit, gather new evidence and prepare to petition the courts for a declaration of innocence.

Hanson, an associate in Dorsey's Trial, Regulatory and Technology group since 1998, received the Pro Bono Practice Award for his ongoing commitment to providing pro bono legal representation to low-income and disadvantaged clients. Among his accomplishments, Hanson was critical to the success of the firm's Pro Bono Asylum Team, taking on several very complex and difficult cases. He also mentored several summer associates who worked on their own political asylum matters, and he worked on the case of Joe Lee Guy vs. State of Texas for Dorsey's Death Penalty Team.

In nominating Hanson for the award, Kathy Moccio, Team Leader of Dorsey's Pro Bono Asylum Team, said, "Andre has maintained an incredible attitude and dedication. He truly is a remarkable person who has consistently shown the highest dedication to human rights and pro bono work."

The Minnesota Justice Foundation offers these pro bono awards in recognition of the dedicated service and outstanding achievements of students, lawyers in private practice, direct legal service providers and public servants. The awards to lawyers in private practice recognize lawyers who view pro bono service as a part of the profession, and based on this, perform pro bono work on a regular basis.

Law students established the Minnesota Justice Foundation in 1982. Its mission is to strive for justice by creating opportunities for law students to perform public interest and pro bono legal services. The Minnesota Justice Foundation does this by creating opportunities for law students at all four Minnesota law schools, both during the school year and during the summer, to help meet the unmet legal needs of low-income people in Minnesota.