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The North Carolina Bar Association, in conjunction with the NCBA Foundation’s Public Service Advisory Committee, will present the 2008 Pro Bono Service Awards during the 110th NCBA Annual Meeting in Atlantic Beach.

Christopher Graebe of Womble, Carlyle, Sandridge & Rice in Raleigh is the 2008 recipient of the William L. Thorp Award, presented annually since 1984 by the NCBA. The award recognizes the Pro Bono Attorney of the Year and was named in memory of Bill Thorp, a founder of Legal Services of North Carolina, in 2002.

The 2008 recipient of the Deborah Greenblatt Outstanding Legal Services Attorney Award is Evan Lewis, senior managing attorney for Legal Aid of North Carolina’s Greenville office. Lewis also provides exemplary volunteer leadership for numerous NCBA endeavors.

The Larger Law Firm Pro Bono Award recipient is Brooks, Pierce, McLendon, Humphrey & Leonard, LLP. Brooks Pierce is being recognized for its firm-wide commitment to pro bono service as well as its deep commitment to NC LEAP (North Carolina Lawyers for Entrepreneurs Assistance Program).

The Immigration Law Association of the University of North Carolina School of Law will receive the Law Students Pro Bono Project Award for its outstanding work coordinating pro bono projects to raise awareness of immigration related issues.

The Chief Justice Award will be presented to NCBA's Young Lawyers Division in recognition of its outstanding service and for the project “Wills for Heroes.”

The awards will be presented Friday, June 20, at the President’s Luncheon hosted by outgoing NCBA President Janet Ward Black of Greensboro. The event will take place at the Sheraton Atlantic Beach Oceanfront Hotel, headquarters of the 2008 NCBA Annual Meeting.

In addition to presentation of the 2008 Pro Bono Awards, the luncheon will include presentation of the H. Brent McKnight Renaissance Lawyer Award and the Willis Smith and Willis Smith Jr. Professionalism and Ethics Speech, presented by Marisol Jimenez McGee, former advocacy director and lobbyist for El Pueblo, Inc.

Raleigh attorney Wade Smith, a former state legislator who served as defense counsel in the Duke lacrosse case, is this year’s recipient of the McKnight Award.