Legal Aid of East Tennessee (LAET) presented the Bruce C. Bailey Volunteer Attorney of the Year Award to Husch Blackwell's Joseph C. Simpson at its annual Pro Bono Night event on May 26. Simpson was honored for his long-standing commitment to LAET's Pro Bono Project, which he began volunteering with in 2000. He has since assisted nearly 50 pro bono clients.
For more than 40 years, LAET has served the citizens of East Tennessee by providing civil legal representation. Its mission is to ensure equal justice for residents who would otherwise be without legal counsel.
In a release published by the LAET, Simpson said "I first learned about Legal Aid of East Tennessee’s Pro Bono Project through my work with the Pro Bono Committee of the Chattanooga Bar Association. As an attorney, pro bono service is important to me because it creates an opportunity to give back. The Pro Bono Project makes it easy for me to fulfill my duty to the profession, my faith and the community,”
Simpson is Senior Counsel in Husch Blackwell's Chattanooga, Tenn., office. He concentrates his practice in Trusts & Estates and Tax law, the same areas in which he assists his LAET clients. In addition to his work with LAET, Simpson is on the Chattanooga Bar Association's Pro Bono Committee.
Husch Blackwell encourages its attorneys to serve the community by providing pro bono work. The firm gives full billable hour credit to its attorneys for time spent on pro bono work and supports various programs where firm offices are located.